Starts Hear Campaign Increases Awareness of Newborn Hearing Screening Among Expectant Moms

Hearing First reports impact of national awareness campaign's first year, reaching hundreds of thousands of soon-to-be-parents about the newborn hearing screening

PHILADELPHIA, July 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Hearing First—a nonprofit dedicated to supporting families of children with hearing loss and the professionals who work with them—is sharing the impact of the first year of the Starts Hear awareness campaign, which informs expectant parents about the importance of the newborn hearing screening.

Launched in February 2021, the Starts Hear awareness campaign has reached hundreds of thousands of expectant moms in its first year to inform them about the newborn hearing screening and empower them to take action in the event of a failed screening.

Bright and optimistic in design, the Starts Hear campaign taps into parents' hopes for their child's future. By linking their dreams with the importance of newborn hearing, parents are encouraged to take swift action to get a follow-up hearing evaluation.

Campaign results highlights from the first year include:

• 228.1 Million total ad views
• 24.7 Million views of 15-second campaign videos (over 20,395 hours of total watch time)
• 1.3 Million reminder emails sent to moms about the newborn hearing screening and what to do if their baby failed
• 320,322 moms visited the campaign website, StartsHear.org
• Expectant moms' awareness of the urgency of newborn hearing increased 25% 

"To be effective in moving the needle and reducing delays in follow-up and diagnosis, we knew we needed to take a different approach. Starts Hear is based on research insights that came directly from discussions with expectant and new moms," said Dr. Teresa Caraway, PhD, CCC-SLP, LSLS Cert. AVT, Hearing First CEO. "By reaching parents where they spend time, using a parent-centered design, and partnering with organizations with a commitment to early childhood development and/or hearing healthcare, this campaign benefits every baby with the potential to make a significant difference in the lives of children touched by hearing loss and their families."

The data from the first year of the campaign shows a positive impact with expectant parents understanding the importance of knowing their baby's hearing status and what to do should their baby fail the newborn hearing screening. The Starts Hear campaign is now entering into its second year to continue to reach more expectant moms to raise awareness of the importance of hearing health.

Learn more about the campaign and download the year one report at hearingfirst.org/starts-hear-awareness-campaign.

Hearing First helps caring adults provide infants and toddlers who are deaf or hard of hearing with the same listening, spoken language, and literacy opportunities as their hearing peers through Listening and Spoken Language (LSL). Hearing First offers free educational resources and online learning experiences for families of children with hearing loss and professionals who seek to advance their LSL knowledge and understanding. With two free online communities, the Family Support Community and Professional Learning Community, Hearing First also helps members connect with other adults who share their same experience. Hearing First is a subsidiary organization of the Oberkotter Foundation, a private foundation supporting opportunities for children who are deaf or hard of hearing learn to listen and talk for over 35 years.

SOURCE Hearing First