Data from: Ear and hearing care in national health policies, strategies, and plans

Ear and hearing-related conditions pose a significant global health burden, yet public health policy surrounding ear and hearing care in low- and middle-income countries is poorly understood. The present study aims to characterize the inclusion of ear and hearing care (EHC) in national health policies by analyzing 124 National Health Policies, Strategies, and Plans in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Arabic. Eight ear and hearing care keywords were searched, including ear, hearing, audiology, otitis media, ototoxic, noise, vertigo, and hearing screening. "HIV/AIDS," "tuberculosis," and "malaria" were included as comparison keywords as these conditions have historically garnered political priority in global health. Of the 194 World Health Organization member states, there were 100 national policies that met inclusion criteria. These documents mentioned EHC keywords significantly less than comparison terms, with mention of hearing in 25%, noise in 11% noise, and ears in 11%. There was mention of HIV/AIDS in 92% of documents, tuberculosis in 88%, and malaria in 70%. Documents in low- and middle-income countries included significantly fewer mentions of ear and hearing care terms than those of high-income countries. We conclude that ear and hearing conditions pose a significant burden of disease but are severely underrepresented in national health policy; EHC should be included in national health policy to avert unnecessary morbidity. Advocacy for EHC policy is particularly urgent in low- and middle-income countries given the high burden of disease and infrequent inclusion in policy.