RECRUITING

Benefits of Choir for Older Adults with Unaddressed Hearing Loss (WP2)

Study Overview

This clinical trial focuses on testing the efficacy of different digital interventions to promote re-engagement in cancer-related long-term follow-up care for adolescent and young adult (AYA) survivors of childhood cancer.

Description

Unaddressed age-related hearing loss is highly prevalent among older adults, typified by negative consequences for speech-in-noise perception and psychosocial wellbeing. There is promising evidence that group singing may enhance speech-in-noise perception and psychosocial wellbeing. However, there is a lack of robust evidence, primarily due to the literature being based on small sample sizes, single site studies, and a lack of randomized controlled trials. Hence, to address these concerns, this SingWell Project study utilizes an appropriate sample size, multisite, randomized controlled trial approach, with a robust preplanned statistical analysis. The objective of the study is to explore if group singing may improve speech-in-noise perception and psychosocial wellbeing for older adults with unaddressed hearing loss. The investigators designed an international, multisite, randomized controlled trial to explore the benefits of group singing for adults aged 60 years and older with unaddressed hearing loss. After undergoing an eligibility screening process and completing an information and consent form, the investigators intend to recruit 210 participants that will be randomly assigned to either group singing or an audiobook club (control group) intervention for a training period of 12-weeks. The study has multiple timepoints for testing, that are broadly categorized as macro (i.e., pre- and post-measures across the 12-weeks), or micro timepoints (i.e., pre- and post-measures across a weekly training session). Macro measures include behavioural measures of speech and music perception, and psychosocial questionnaires. Micro measures include psychosocial questionnaires and heart-rate variability. The investigators hypothesize that group singing may be effective at improving speech perception and psychosocial outcomes for older adults with unaddressed hearing loss-more so than participants in the control group.

Official Title

Speech-in-noise, Psychosocial, and Heart Rate Variability Outcomes of Group Singing or Audiobook Club Interventions for Older Adults with Unaddressed Hearing Loss: a SingWell Project Multisite, Randomized Controlled Trial.

Quick Facts

Study Start:2024-09
Study Completion:2026-09
Study Type:Not specified
Phase:Not Applicable
Enrollment:Not specified
Status:RECRUITING

Study ID

NCT06580847

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Ages Eligible for Study:60 Years
Sexes Eligible for Study:ALL
Accepts Healthy Volunteers:No
Standard Ages:ADULT, OLDER_ADULT
Inclusion CriteriaExclusion Criteria
  1. 1. Adults aged 60 years and older;
  2. 2. Bilateral mild-to-moderate hearing loss (20-49 dB hearing level), measured using four-frequency pure-tone average across both ears (4FPTA) measured at 500 Hz, 1000 Hz, 2000 Hz, and 4000 Hz;
  3. 3. Unaddressed hearing loss (i.e., participants must not currently use a hearing aid, cochlear implant, or assistive listening device);
  4. 4. No significant cognitive impairment, to be assessed with the Montreal Cognitive Assessment for people with hearing impairment (MoCA-H), with participants requiring a score ≥ 24;
  5. 5. Not use a pacemaker or anti-arrhythmic agents/medications;
  6. 6. Not currently participating in regular active music learning (e.g., choir, formal music training) or audiobook clubs within the last year; and
  7. 7. Sufficient language capacity to understand and complete the test materials. Note: all materials will be presented written and/or aurally in English at the sites located in Canada, United States of America, and Australia; Dutch at the Netherlands site; and German at the Germany site.
  1. Pregnancy or breastfeeding
  2. Severe psychiatric disorders
  3. Active substance abuse
  4. Unstable medical conditions
  5. Inability to comply with study requirements

Contacts and Locations

Study Contact

Chi Yhun Lo, PhD
CONTACT
4169795000
chi.lo@torontomu.ca
Kay F Wright-Whyte, MSc
CONTACT
4169795000
kww@torontomu.ca

Principal Investigator

Frank Russo, PhD
STUDY_DIRECTOR
Toronto Metropolitan University

Study Locations (Sites)

Brain and Creativity Institute, University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California, 90089
United States

Collaborators and Investigators

Sponsor: Toronto Metropolitan University

  • Frank Russo, PhD, STUDY_DIRECTOR, Toronto Metropolitan University

Study Record Dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Registration Dates

Study Start Date2024-09
Study Completion Date2026-09

Study Record Updates

Study Start Date2024-09
Study Completion Date2026-09

Terms related to this study

Keywords Provided by Researchers

  • Hearing loss
  • speech in noise
  • psychosocial wellbeing

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

  • Hearing Loss, Age-Related
  • Speech Intelligibility
  • Psychosocial Functioning