# What Causes Hearing Loss: Advancing the Methods

> **NIH NIH R01** · HARVARD UNIVERSITY D/B/A HARVARD SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH · 2021 · $383,778

## Abstract

Project Summary / Abstract
Existing statistical methods are insufficient for quality control or analysis of audiometrically-assessed hearing
measurements. Statistical analysis of audiometrically-assessed hearing measurements is challenging due to
the complex correlation structure of the data, and because the definition of hearing loss is typically based on
the pure tone average which is typically the average of measurements at three or four specified frequencies,
leading to a potential loss of useful information available in the individual frequency data. In addition, it is now
possible to perform audiometric testing outside of the clinic with inexpensive electronic equipment in large-
scale epidemiologic hearing studies. In doing so, statistical analysis must account for measurement error in the
hearing tests to prevent bias in the estimates of associations and causal effects. We will develop entirely novel
methods for quality control of hearing data, and for validly and efficiently assessing the exposure-hearing loss
associations and their causal relationships, while accounting for the multiple layers of correlation and
multivariate outcomes from multiple frequencies in audiometrically-assessed hearing data. We will develop
methods to correct for measurement error-induced bias in the estimated associations and causal effects for
studies where hearing outcomes are measured in non-clinical settings. We will apply the hearing data analysis
methods to the Conservation of Hearing Study based in the Nurses’ Health Study II. User-friendly publicly
available software development will be a central feature accompanying all new methods to be developed. We
have formed an interdisciplinary team of expert theoretical and applied statisticians, epidemiologists and
audiologists, and we expect to be well equipped to solve the challenging problems that have been identified.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10242853
- **Project number:** 5R01DC017717-03
- **Recipient organization:** HARVARD UNIVERSITY D/B/A HARVARD SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
- **Principal Investigator:** Molin Wang
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $383,778
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-09-13 → 2024-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10242853

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10242853, What Causes Hearing Loss: Advancing the Methods (5R01DC017717-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10242853. Licensed CC0.

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