Hearing Loss Essay

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Hearing Loss - Description

Hearing loss is a major global public health issue. Hearnet (2017) defines hearing loss as “a disability that occurs when one or more parts of the ear and/or the parts of the brain that make up the hearing pathway do not function normally” (para. 1). There are many different types of hearing loss, which can have multiple causes, giving each individual experiencing the issue a unique hearing loss case. These types include Auditory Processing Disorders, when the brain has problems processing sound information; Conductive Hearing Loss, a problem with the outer or middle ear which prevents sound making its way to the inner ear; and Sensorineural Hearing Loss, when the Cochlea or auditory nerve is damaged and cannot …show more content…

This essay will be further exploring the differences and similarities between the attitudes and beliefs towards hearing loss in Indian and South African culture. South Africa is the southernmost country in the African continent, with a population of around 54.3 million. Around 80% of this population are Black African, 8% are white, and 2.5% Indian/Asian (Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), 2017), and religious groups in South Africa are Protestant (37%), Catholic (7%), Muslim (1.5%) and Christian (36%). A 2011 census report showed that 2.6% of males, and 3.1% of females had a mild hearing disability, whilst 0.6% of males and 0.7% of females had severe hearing loss (Statistics South Africa, 2011). India is part of the South Asian sub-continent, and it’s population is close to 1.3 billion. The main ethnic groups in India are Indo-Aryan (72%) and Dravidian (25%). 80% of the population is of Hindu religion, 14% Muslim and 2.3% Christian (CIA, 2017). Hearing loss in India is more prevalent than in South Africa, and Singh (2015) notes that 6.3% of the population suffer from a significant hearing loss, and it is the 2nd most common cause of disability in the country. Whilst some beliefs and attitudes towards hearing loss are shared, the differences in the religious, geographical and ethnic makeup of these two cultures also create differences in how they view this

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