Banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO: ISABELLY ALVES SOARES

Uma banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO de MESTRADO foi cadastrada pelo programa.
STUDENT : ISABELLY ALVES SOARES
DATE: 30/09/2026
TIME: 15:00
LOCAL: Conferência Web RNP
TITLE:

Digit-in-Noise Test in Brazilian Portuguese-Speaking Children: Diagnostic Accuracy and Analysis of Response Patterns

KEY WORDS:

Child Development; Hearing Tests; Screening; Auditory Acuity; Mobile Applications.

PAGES: 34
BIG AREA: Ciências da Saúde
AREA: Fonoaudiologia
SUMMARY:

The Digits-in-Noise (DIN) test is an auditory assessment tool recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) for hearing screening; however, there are gaps regarding its validation for the school-age population in Brazilian Portuguese. Due to its ease of access and administration, it represents a potential tool for the Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS) and the Programa Saúde na Escola (PSE) in the early identification of hearing impairments. This dissertation comprises two studies—presented as articles—aimed at establishing the diagnostic accuracy of the DIN test in school-age children and analyzing test response patterns based on each subject's audiological characteristics; the project was approved by the Ethics Committee (No. 7.316.451). Accordingly, an accuracy study and a cross-sectional study are being conducted. All participants signed the Assent Form, and their guardians signed the Informed Consent Form. A non-probabilistic convenience sampling method is being used, involving participants aged 6 to 14 enrolled in elementary and middle education (Ensino Fundamental) at public and private schools in Natal metropolitan area. The sample size calculation factored in the prevalence of hearing loss among schoolchildren in Natal (16%), a 95% confidence interval, and a 5% margin of error, resulting in a total of 207 subjects. Inclusion criteria covered subjects regularly enrolled in the selected schools who attended classes consistently and completed the procedures on a single day. Participants were excluded if they experienced difficulties performing the test or presented with reported and/or known disorders, syndromes, or malformations. The data collection procedures included: (1) audiological interview and socioeconomic analysis; (2) inspection of the external auditory canal; (3) pure-tone audiometry (air conduction: 250–8000 Hz; bone conduction: 500–4000 Hz when necessary) performed in a sound-treated booth to establish a baseline, with a normality criterion defined as a four-tone average better than 20 dB HL; (4) 226 Hz probe-tone tympanometry; and (5) the Digits-in-Noise test with antiphasic stimuli using the Ouvir Brasil app on a Samsung Galaxy A17 smartphone with 1Hora in-ear headphones. Error patterns for each presented digit triplet were analyzed using the Analytics software developed for the Ouvir Brasil app. Statistical analysis involved verifying data normality via the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, followed by Welch’s ANOVA to analyze independent variables (sex, age group, school grade/education level, type of hearing loss, and middle ear abnormalities). Preliminary results show a sample of 89 subjects (mean age: 10.1 ± 1.77 years), 38 of whom were male (42.7%). Regarding socioeconomic status, 77 participants (86.5%) belonged to Class A, 11 (12.4%) to Class B1, and one (1.1%) to Class B2. Of the subjects evaluated, 86 had normal hearing, while one had bilateral hearing loss and two had unilateral hearing loss. Mean speech recognition-in-noise scores on the Ouvir Brasil app were -10.3 dB for the 6–7 age group, -11.9 dB for the 8–9 group, -12.9 dB for the 10–11 group, and -13.4 dB for those over 12 years of age. There was no statistically significant difference regarding age group (p=0.167) or sex (p=0.238). An impact on the signal-to-noise ratio was observed in cases of abnormal right-ear tympanometry (p=0.044). The social impact of the research lies in the validation of an internationally recommended instrument for the SUS (Sistema Único de Saúde).

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Externa à Instituição - NÁDIA GIULIAN DE CARVALHO
Presidente - 1262138 - ARYELLY DAYANE DA SILVA NUNES ARAÚJO
Interna - ***.092.134-** - KELLY CRISTINA LIRA DE ANDRADE - UNCISAL
Interna - 1804274 - SHEILA ANDREOLI BALEN