Prevalentie en relevante achtergrondkenmerken van doofheid en ernstige slechthorendheid in Nederland

To determine the prevalence of deafness and severe hardness of hearing among the Dutch population and of some relevant background characteristics.

Design

Study of documents.

Setting

Dutch schools for deaf and hard-of-hearing children.

Method

The number of deaf and severely hard-of-hearing children of 6-12 years who received education or ambulatory supervision at schools for deaf and hard-of-hearing children was counted in the period November 1996-April 1997, and a number of relevant background characteristics were collected. By means of consultation with experts, this number was corrected for children who could not be retrieved by means of the inventory at these schools. To estimate the total number of deaf and severely hard-of-hearing people in the Dutch population, this adjusted number was extrapolated to older and younger year cohorts.

Results

The number of deaf and hard-of-hearing children of 6-12 years, after correction for missing groups, was 0.74 (95 confidence interval (95 CI): 0.69-0.78) per 1000 persons. In 9 the age of onset of the handicap was postlingual; they more often received ambulatory supervision and more often received education at a school for hard-of-hearing children than those with a prelingual auditive handicap. Of the children 29 had a non-Western origin; they less often received ambulatory supervision, and more often received education from a school for deaf children than indigenous pupils. Among the total Dutch population, the number of deaf and hard-of-hearing persons in 1996 was estimated to be 11,400 persons (95 CI: 10,690-12,110).

Conclusion

The prevalence of deafness and severe hardness of hearing in the Netherlands (15,490,000 inhabitants in 1996) was 11,400 persons (95 CI: 10,690-12,110).

Samenvatting

Doel

Vaststellen van de prevalentie van doofheid en ernstige slechthorendheid onder de Nederlandse bevolking en van enkele relevante achtergrondkenmerken.

Opzet

Dossieronderzoek.

Plaats

Nederlandse doven- en slechthorendenscholen.

Methode

Het aantal dove en ernstig slechthorende kinderen van 6-12 jaar dat onderwijs of ambulante begeleiding ontving van doven- of slechthorendenscholen werd in de periode november 1996-april 1997 geteld en relevante achtergrondkenmerken werden vastgelegd. Via consultatie van deskundigen werd dit aantal gecorrigeerd voor leerlingen die via de schoolinventarisatie niet konden worden achterhaald. Het totale aantal doven en ernstig slechthorenden in de Nederlandse populatie werd geschat door dit gecorrigeerde aantal te extrapoleren naar oudere en jongere jaarcohorten.

Resultaten

Het aantal dove en ernstig slechthorende kinderen in de leeftijdscategorie 6-12 jaar was, na correctie voor gemiste groepen, 0,74 per 1000 personen (95-betrouwbaarheidsinterval (95-BI): 0,69-0,78). Bij 9 was de handicap postlinguaal ontstaan; zij ontvingen vaker ambulante begeleiding en kregen vaker slechthorendenonderwijs dan prelinguaal auditief gehandicapte leerlingen. Van de kinderen was 29 van allochtone afkomst; zij ontvingen minder vaak ambulante begeleiding en kregen vaker dovenonderwijs dan autochtone leerlingen. Onder de gehele Nederlandse bevolking werd het aantal doven en ernstig slechthorenden geschat op 11.400 personen in 1996 (95-BI: 10.690-12.110).