Balance is essential for daily activities, motor development, and overall well-being. The vestibular system plays a key role in balance control, and impairments associated with hearing loss may negatively affect balance in children. However, balance assessment is not routinely performed in children with hearing impairment....
Children with hearing impairment show measurable balance deficits; audiologists assessing pediatric patients should consider routine vestibular or balance screening as part of the evaluation protocol.
It highlights that hearing impairment in children extends beyond hearing loss to include balance dysfunction, underscoring the need for integrated vestibular assessment in pediatric audiology in under-resourced settings.
- 01Cross-sectional design compared static and dynamic balance in children with and without hearing impairment in Ethiopia.
- 02Vestibular system involvement is implicated as a key factor linking hearing impairment to balance deficits.
- 03Study addresses a gap in pediatric vestibular research from low- and middle-income country contexts.
- 04Findings support broader audiological assessment beyond pure-tone hearing evaluation in children.
- 05Associated factors (e.g., age, severity of impairment) were examined as covariates.
Children with hearing impairment demonstrate poorer static and dynamic balance performance than children without hearing impairment.
studypartially supportedThe vestibular system plays a role in the balance differences observed between the two groups.
studypartially supported- PMID
- 42304256
- DOI
- 10.1186/s12887-026-07135-4.
- Journal
- BMC Pediatrics
- Publication type
- research_article
- Evidence level
- 3
- Population
- Children with and without hearing impairment in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
- Intervention
- Assessment of static and dynamic balance performance
- Comparator
- Children without hearing impairment
Primary outcomes
Static balance performance; Dynamic balance performance; Associated factors influencing balance