Acceptable Noise Level as a Predictor of Hearing Aid Use

Abstract

Acceptable noise level (ANL) measures a listener's reaction to background noise while listening to speech. Relations among hearing aid use and ANL, speech in noise (SPIN) scores, and listener characteristics (age, gender, pure-tone average) were investigated in 191 listeners with hearing impairment. Listeners were assigned to one of three groups based on patterns of hearing aid use: full-time use (whenever hearing aids are needed), part-time use (occasional use), or nonuse. Results showed that SPIN scores and listener characteristics were not related to ANL or hearing aid use. However, ANLs were related to hearing aid use. Specifically, full-time hearing aid users accepted more background noise than part-time users or nonusers, yet part-time users and nonusers could not be differentiated. Thus, a prediction of hearing aid use was examined by comparing part-time users and nonusers (unsuccessful hearing aid users) with full-time users (successful hearing aid users). Regression analysis determined that unaided ANLs could predict a listener's success of hearing aids with 85% accuracy.

Acceptable noise level with Danish, Swedish, and non-semantic speech materials

“…Nabelek et al, 1991;Nabelek et al, 2004;Harkrider & Smith, 2005;Freyaldenhoven et al, 2006;Gordon-Hickey & Moore, 2007), middle ear function (Harkrider & Smith, 2005), outer hair cell function (click evoked otoacoustic emissions) (Harkrider & Smith, 2005), or the efferent pathways utilising the medial olivocochlear bundle (contralateral suppression of otoacoustic emissions and contralateral stimulation of the acoustic reflex) (Harkrider & Smith, 2005). ANL seems not to be generally related to speech recognition scores in noise (Bilger et al, 1984) in normal-hearing or hearing-impaired subjects (Nabelek et al, 2004;Nabelek et al, 2006;von Hapsburg & Bahng, 2006). This suggests that speech perception in noise taps into a different aspect of listening in noise than ANL processing and has been taken as evidence that acceptance of background noise is an intrinsic characteristic of the individual subject.…”

“…Danish and Swedish versions of the English instructions (Nabelek, 1991;Rogers et al, 2003;Nabelek et al, 2004;Nabelek et al, 2006). The complete Danish and Swedish instructions are presented in Appendices A and B.…”

Acceptable noise level: Repeatability with Danish and non-semantic speech materials for adults with normal hearing

“…According to Nabelek et al (2006) subjects with an ANL less than 7 dB are likely to become successful, full-time hearing aid users, while subjects with an ANL more than 13 dB are likely to become unsuccessful users who wear hearing aids occasionally or not at all. For subjects with an ANL between 7 and 13 dB the use pattern cannot be predicted.…”

Effects of a transient noise reduction algorithm on speech intelligibility in noise, noise tolerance and perceived annoyance in cochlear implant users

“…The task was to select the maximum background noise level (BNL) that the participant was willing to accept while following the speech. The listeners were given oral and written instructions, which were Dutch translations of the instructions provided by Nabelek et al (2006). For each ANL measurement the BNL procedure was repeated three times and the mean value was used to calculate the ANL as the difference of the speech level and the mean BNL.…”