Page 59 - ITU KALEIDOSCOPE, ATLANTA 2019

DEVELOPMENT OF HEARING TECHNOLOGY WITH PERSONALIZED SAFE
LISTENING FEATURES

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Shayan Gupta ; Xuan Xu ; Hongfu Liu ; Jacqueline Zhang ; Joshua N Bas ; Shawn K. Kelly 2
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1 Audition Technology, LLC., Pittsburgh, PA, USA
2 Carnegie Mellon University, USA

ABSTRACT exposures. The NIOSH Sound Level Meter app measures
environmental sound and provides information on hazardous
Noise induced hearing loss (NIHL) is a growing public levels [8]. The Department of Defense, Hearing Center of
health concern in the US and globally due to the emergence Excellence (DoD, HCE) along with the Army Research Lab
of lifestyle preferences and environmental exposures to (ARL) and Army Public Health Center (APHC) provide safe
sound levels exceeding safe listening limits for extended listening standards and education to mitigate NIHL risk in
periods of time. Issuance of the ITU guidelines for safe service personnel [9-11]. To address evolving young adult
listening devices/systems (ITU-T H.870) leading to the 2019 lifestyles, the ITU-T H.870 guideline and the WHO-ITU
WHO-ITU standard, along with existing US federal and global standard for safe listening devices and systems
military standards, provide a framework for developing an regulate exposure to loud sounds through personal audio
accessible tool for promoting safe listening. Our proposed devices/systems [12, 13]. In addition, the hearWHO app was
Hearing Health app, is being developed for an aggregated launched recently to serve as a hearing screening to check
assessment of a user’s daily sound exposure, through the one’s hearing status [14].
audio system and the environment (occupation and beyond)
by integrating WHO-ITU and US safe listening standards, An unmet need is the aggregation of the various UN and US
providing real-time alerts, user-centric recommendations standards for real-time, cumulative assessment of daily noise
and education that can be integrated into user lifestyles, exposure, because of daily activities and lifestyle choices,
representing a wide demographic including young adult, with features to facilitate the adoption of safe listening
adult, civilian and military populations. The overall goal of practices into one’s lifestyle. We are proposing a ‘Hearing
the app will be to increase NIHL awareness and facilitate Health App’ (App) that integrates US and UN safe listening
improvement of user’s listening behaviors. standards with features to match personal, occupational and
lifestyle needs, as well as personal preferences to improve
Keywords – App, NIHL, safe listening standards, user- listening behaviors across a wide demographic.
centric, user listening behavior
2. METHODOLOGY
1. INTRODUCTION
2.1 m-health app for hearing health
There is an increased global focus on improving hearing
healthcare due to auditory and non-auditory adverse health Mobile phones are ubiquitous devices that can have a long-
outcomes resulting from noise induced hearing loss (NIHL) range wireless communication with the Internet, as well as
[1]. The US Center for Disease Control (CDC) estimates ~ short-range wired or wireless communication with nearby
24% of US adults and WHO projects >1 billion young adults objects. Therefore, mobile phones can send and receive
worldwide are at risk of NIHL due routine, prolonged information from the Internet, as well as from a nearby
exposures to loud noise [2,3]. The lack of awareness is device with Bluetooth connectivity, such as a Bluetooth-
apparent in the latest CDC estimates, which state that 40 enabled hearing technology (personal sound amplification
million US adults (20-69 years old) have NIHL, 1 in 2 of product, PSAP). The app can be downloaded and executed
whom not having noisy jobs, and 1 in 4 US adults who report with currently available global mobile phone technology,
excellent to good hearing already have hearing damage [4]. potentially enabling global access to a hearing health tool.

Standards have been proposed to promote safe listening. In The WHO defines mobile health (m-health), a subset of e-
the US, there are safe listening standards from National health, as ‘the use of mobile wireless technologies for health’
Institute for Deafness and Communication Disorders and recognizes the value of digital technologies to contribute
(NIDCD) [5], National Institute for Occupational Safety and to advancing health aims of the Sustainable Development
Health (NIOSH) [6], and Occupational Safety and Health Goals [15]. Our selection of development of an app
Administration (OSHA) [7] to limit occupational noise acknowledges the WHO m-health directive and is guided by

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