Grant Award: $94,337
Principal Investigator: Marlene Bagatto, Au.D., Ph.D.
Institution: The University of Western Ontario, National Centre for Audiology, School of Communication Sciences and Disorders
Collaborators: Jennifer Milburn MHA Newborn Screening Ontario, Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Lauren Gallagher, M.Sc. Newborn Screening Ontario, Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario
Project Summary:
In Canada, seven out of 13 provinces and territories lack comprehensive hearing healthcare for children, resulting in missed diagnoses for babies born with hearing loss. This can cause significant developmental challenges. Our research aims to address this inequity by asking: “Which social factors impact infant hearing health outcomes, and how can early hearing loss risk factor screening improve follow-up care?”
By addressing this question, we hope to better understand the barriers preventing Canadian children from receiving timely hearing care and how we can ensure more equitable access. We expect to find that social factors like caregiver education, income, and social support networks are key contributors to disparities in childhood hearing health outcomes. Additionally, we hypothesize that integrating blood spot screening, as in Ontario, will lead to better engagement from families, improving follow-up rates and outcomes for children with hearing loss.
Our findings will help identify factors that contribute to gaps in pediatric hearing healthcare access. This will clarify why some Canadian children are left undiagnosed or untreated and reveal ways to address these barriers. By understanding the role of education, socioeconomic status, and access to services, we can improve systems to ensure all children benefit from high quality hearing healthcare.
This work will inform policies and practices aimed at improving hearing healthcare for children across Canada. Specifically, it will guide recommendations for integrating blood spot screening and suggest ways to engage families in follow-up care, ultimately reducing health inequities and improving developmental outcomes for children born with hearing loss.