Every year, March 3 is observed as World Hearing Day, an initiative aimed at promoting safe listening practices and raising awareness about ear and hearing care.
With projections indicating that over 500 million people will experience disabling hearing loss requiring rehabilitation by 2030, this year’s commemoration carries even greater urgency.
The theme for World Hearing Day 2025, “Changing Mindsets: Empower Yourself to Make Ear and Hearing Care a Reality for All,” shifts the focus to individual responsibility in preserving hearing health.
Speaking on ATL FM’s Atlantic Wave, Ms. Sandra Nketsiabah Saah, an audiologist at the University of Cape Coast Hospital, emphasized the significance of this year’s theme revealing “So, the theme for 2025 is Changing Mindsets: Empower Yourself to Make Ear and Hearing Care a Reality for All. The theme for this year builds on the theme for last year.”
“Last year, in 2024, the theme was Changing Mindsets: Let’s Make Ear and Hearing Care a Reality for All, which focused on societal responsibility. However, this year’s theme shifts attention to the individual. We are trying to empower each person to take charge of their hearing health because an empowered individual can drive change not only for themselves but for their community.”
Ms. Saah outlined the two major causes of hearing loss congenital conditions and human behaviors, noting while some individuals are born with hearing impairments, a significant percentage of cases result from unsafe listening practices and environmental exposure to loud noise.
“Yes, some people are born with hearing loss, but the numbers are not very huge,” she noted. “The biggest concern is preventable hearing loss caused by lifestyle choices and workplace exposure to loud noise.”
She emphasized that noise pollution in workplaces such as mining, road construction, and entertainment venues poses a major threat to hearing health, revealing “Exposure to loud noise is number one, Some people work in jobs that expose them to continuous, excessive noise like miners, road workers, DJs, and those in the entertainment industry. These individuals need to be aware of the risks and take precautions, such as wearing protective ear equipment.”
“In order to protect your hearing, you should keep your device volume below 60%, avoid inserting things like cotton buds, pen caps, and sticks into your ears, and make time to educate yourself on proper ear care,” Ms. Saah advised.
Mrs. Patricia Assabil, an Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) Specialist Nurse at the University of Cape Coast Hospital, warns that the common yet harmful practice of inserting pointed objects into the ear to remove wax can result in ear trauma and wax impaction.
“Actually, removing wax yourself is a very bad habit,” she cautioned. “In an attempt to clean your ears, you may cause more harm than good. There are tiny hair follicles in the ear that naturally help push out wax. Additionally, movements like chewing and talking aid in this natural process.”
She further explained “Instead of cleaning your ears, you end up forming impacted wax, which can cause pain, hearing difficulties, and even infections. If there is a problem with excessive wax, it is better to seek medical attention and have it professionally removed,” she advised.
The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that over one billion young people are at risk of permanent hearing loss due to prolonged exposure to loud sounds.
To prevent this, experts recommend keeping volume levels low when using electronic devices, avoiding the insertion of foreign objects into the ear, conducting regular hearing check-ups, and using assistive hearing devices when necessary.
As Ghana joins the world in commemorating World Hearing Day 2025, health professionals urge individuals to take proactive steps toward hearing preservation, emphasizing that safe listening habits, workplace precautions, and routine ear care are essential for lifelong hearing health.
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Source: Afote Asomdwoe Laryea/ATLFMNEWS
