Hearing loss is the main ear and hearing-related condition among Indigenous adults, while middle ear infections are still high among Indigenous children, a report says.
More than 40 per cent of Aboriginal and Torres Islander people aged over seven years old have hearing loss, according to a report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.
"A large proportion of First Nations people have measured hearing loss," the report said.
"There is also a high rate of under-reporting of hearing loss. People may not recognise that they, or their children, have hearing loss, or may choose not to report it in national health surveys."
Among Indigenous children aged between seven and 14, about a third had measured hearing loss in 2018-19.
In remote areas four in 10 children in the same age group had measured hearing loss.
"First Nations children, especially those living in remote areas, have high rates of severe, recurring and persistent middle ear infections and associated hearing loss," the report said.
"Middle ear infections occur more often and at a younger age in First Nations people compared to other Australians."
Hospitalisations for ear-related conditions, use of audiology services and rates of middle ear-related procedures among Indigenous children increased in 2022-23 following pandemic-era declines.
Nearly 90 per cent of ear-related hospitalisations among First Nations children aged 0-14 were middle ear related, from June 2021 to 2023.
"For First Nations people, systemic barriers to accessing ear and hearing health services can make it more difficult to navigate an already complex health system," the report said.
"Access may be affected by limited availability and accessibility of culturally appropriate health services, a lack of continuity of care, or racism or discrimination from health care providers."
