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

Part of paid clinical trials in Los Angeles, California.

Sponsor
Toronto Metropolitan University
Study ID
NCT06580847
Status
Recruiting
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Conditions

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

Eligibility Criteria

Sex
ALL
Age
60 Years - N/A
Healthy Volunteers
Not accepted

Interventions

  • Group Singing — BEHAVIORAL
    12 week choir program consisting of 1.5 hours of in-person instruction per week.
  • Audiobook Club — BEHAVIORAL
    12 week audiobook club program consisting of 1.5 hours of in-person discussion per week.

Study Details

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.

Key Dates

Start date
Apr 15, 2025
Status verified
Sep 2025
Primary completion
Sep 30, 2026
Completion
Sep 30, 2026

Study Design

Enrollment
210 participants (estimated)
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT

Arms

  • Experimental: Group Singing
    12 week group singing program consisting of 1.5 hours of in-person choir instruction per week.
  • Active Comparator: Audiobook Club
    12 week group program consisting of 1.5 hours of in-person audiobook club discussion per week.

Primary Outcome Measure

Speech-in-noise perception [ Time Frame: Baseline and completion (week 0 and week 13) ]

Central Contacts

Locations (1)

FacilityCityStateZIPSite coordinators
Brain and Creativity Institute, University of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesCalifornia90089
Assal Habibi
[email protected]

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By research site
Brain and Creativity Institute, University of Southern California· Los Angeles, CA

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