A Cross-Sectional Study on the Hearing Threshold Levels Among People in Qinling, Qinghai, and Nanjing, China.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the hearing threshold among different age groups, genders, and geographic areas in China to provide some insight into the appropriate clinical interventions for hearing loss.

Method: Using a systematic random sampling technique, 562 participants from Qinling, Qinghai, and Nanjing were included. Participants in the same area were divided into 3 groups according to their age. Pure-tone audiometric thresholds were measured at octave and interoctave frequencies of 0.125-16 kHz for each subject.

Results: There were significant differences in auditory thresholds at nearly all frequencies among young, middle-aged, and elderly people, and hearing thresholds increased with increasing age. People generally had the best hearing ability in Nanjing, better hearing ability in Qinghai, and the worst hearing ability in Qinling. Significant differences in hearing thresholds were found between males and females at several frequencies in Qinling.

Conclusion: People living in the rural area of Qinling in China had higher hearing threshold levels, particularly males, and hearing thresholds increased with age.