World Hearing Day is acampaign held each year by Office of Prevention of Blindness and Deafness of theWorld Health Organization (WHO). Activities take place across the globe and an event is hosted at the World Health Organization in Geneva annually on March 3. The campaign's objectives are to share information and promote actions towards the prevention ofhearing loss and improved hearing care. Any individual or organization can participate in various ways, by sharing campaign materials and organizing outreach actions. Examples are provided in the World Hearing Day annual activitiesreports. For participation to be recognized, one needs to register and report on their activity.[1]
The first event was held in 2015.[1] Before then it was known as International Ear Care Day.[2] Each year, the WHO selects a theme, develops educational materials, and makes these freely available in several languages. It also coordinates and reports on events around the globe.
For 2025, the theme of the campaign is "Empower yourself" encouraging individuals to take steps to ensure good hearing in all stages of life. This focus is a new angle of the theme of the2024 World Hearing Day "Changing mindsets".[3]
The2024 World Hearing Day campaign will concentrate on overcoming challenges posed by societal misperceptions and stigmatizing mindsets through awareness-raising and information-sharing targeted at the public and healthcare providers. The chosen theme for 2024 is "Changing mindsets: let's make ear and hearing care a reality for all!".[4]
WHO has emphasized that over 80% of people globally who require hearing care are not receiving it. This situation incurs an estimated cost of US$1 trillion related to unaddressed hearing loss.[5][4]
The theme for 2023 and subsequent years is "Ear and hearing care for all! Let's make it a reality".[6]
A new training manual "Primary ear and hearing care training manual for health workers and general practitioners" was released on March 3, 2023, and it is accompanied by atrainer's handbook and other community resources.
Avideo by WHO's director-generalTedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus explains the effort.Wiki4WorldHearingDay2023 anedit-a-thon, was part of the 2023 activities of the campaign, to facilitate the contribution of hearing-related content into Wikipedia in several languages. Activities were reported in aWikimedia dashboard.[7]
The theme ofWorld Hearing Day 2022 was "To hear for life, listen with care."[8]
Key messages and information focused on the importance and means of preventing hearing loss from recreational sounds throughsafe listening. During World Hearing Day 2022 these resources were launched:
The theme of the campaign for 2021 was "Hearing Care for All." The launch of theWorld Report on Hearing (WRH) took place on March 3, 2021, during an event at the World Health Organization in Geneva. It was a global call for action to address hearing loss and ear diseases across the life course.[2]
The theme of the campaign for 2020 was "Hearing for Life. Don't let hearing loss limit you".[9]
2019: The theme of the campaign for 2019 was "Check your hearing" as data from both developed and developing countries indicate that a significant part of the burden associated with hearing loss comes from unaddressed hearing difficulties.[10][11]
A study conducted in the United Kingdom indicate that only 20% of those who have a hearing problem seek treatment.[12][13] A study performed in South Africa reported that individuals who experience hearing difficulties wait between 5 and 16 years to seek diagnosis and treatment.[14] Two hundred and ninety one events/activities from 81 countries were registered, and will be described in their annual report. For the celebration, on February 25, 2019, WHO launchedhearWHO, a free application for mobile devices which allows people to check their hearing regularly and intervene early in case of hearing loss.[15] The app is targeted at those who are at risk of hearing loss or who already experience some of the symptoms related to hearing loss.[16]
Wiki4WorldHearingDay2019, anedit-a-thon, was part of the 2019 activities of the campaign, to facilitate the contribution of hearing-related content into Wikipedia in several languages. Activities were reported in aWikimedia dashboard and summarized a few publications.[17][16] In addition, aMeet-up took place with presentations by researchers fromHEAR in Cincinnati, from theNational Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, theNational Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities andNational Center for Environmental Health, of theCenters for Disease Control and Prevention, by the Wikipedian-in-Residence from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, and the Wikipedia Consultant forCochrane.[16]
2018: The theme of World Hearing Day 2018 was "Hear the future".[18][3]
2017: The theme of World Hearing Day 2017 was "Action for hearing loss: make a sound investment", which focused on the economic impact of hearing loss.[19][4]
2016: The theme of World Hearing Day 2016 was "Childhood hearing loss: act now, here is how!".[20]
2015: The theme for World Hearing Day was "Make Listening Safe".[21]
