Children with Secondary Care Episodes for Otitis Media Have Poor Literacy and Numeracy Outcomes: A Data Linkage Study.

Megan F Bell,Rebecca Glauert,Deborah Lehmann,Christopher G Brennan-Jones,Fernando Lima,Hannah C Moore

doi:10.3390/ijerph182010822

Abstract

We examined the association between otitis media (OM) and educational attainment in a retrospective population cohort of Western Australian children who participated in the grade 3 National Assessment Program—Literacy and Numeracy in 2012 (N = 19,262). Literacy and numeracy scores were linked to administrative hospital and emergency department data to identify secondary care episodes for OM. Results of multivariate multilevel models showed that children with OM episodes had increased odds of poor performance on literacy and numeracy tests, compared to children without OM episodes (46–79% increase in odds for Aboriginal children; 20–31% increase in odds for non-Aboriginal children). There were no significant effects found for age at the first episode, nor for OM episode frequency (all ps > 0.05). Regardless of the timing or frequency of episodes, children with OM episodes are at risk of poor literacy and numeracy attainment. Aboriginal children with OM appeared to be particularly at risk of poor literacy and numeracy achievement. Intervention to reduce the prevalence of otitis media in young children, and early treatment of OM, are important for limiting the negative effects on academic outcomes.

Highlights

Otitis media (OM), a spectrum of inflammatory conditions involving the middle ear, is one of the most common conditions affecting young children [1]
This is a cohort study in which we examined the association between secondary care episodes for OM and scores on standardized numeracy and literacy assessments for children in grade 3
The study was conducted in Western Australia (WA), which has an area of 2.5 million km2 and a population of 2.6 million, 79% of whom reside in the capital of Perth

Summary

Introduction

Otitis media (OM), a spectrum of inflammatory conditions involving the middle ear, is one of the most common conditions affecting young children [1]. Australian Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander children (hereafter, respectfully referred to as Aboriginal) are susceptible to OM [2,3], with the highest reported rates of OM globally [4]. Recurrent or persistent episodes of OM often result in long periods of poor hearing (hearing loss of 15–40 dB) or complications that may result in permanent hearing loss [6]. This hearing loss results in an inconsistent auditory stimulus, which may negatively affect early development of speech and language [7,8,9], and have adverse consequences for children’s learning and social development [10]

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion