Hear-Brazil

Project timeframe
1 May 2024 - 30 April 2029
Research area
Human Factors
Amount awarded
拢214,000
Funder ID
CNPq

Project leader: Dr Emilene Zitkus

Over 1.5 billion people worldwide live with hearing loss, whether severe, mild or moderate. Nearly 80% of them live in low-to-middle-income countries (LMICs).

Untreated hearing loss has a negative impact on quality of life, being associated with cognitive decline, risk of falls, and higher mortality. The widespread use of smartphones in LMICs offers a unique opportunity to provide low-cost app-based amplification access for adults with mild to moderate hearing loss. In this project, Dr Zitkus is looking at most of the potential users of such applications – people aged 60 years old and over – to understand what interface will be convenient and easy to use to personalise amplification alternatives.