Sanchez L, et al. - In this prospective three-year cohort study involving 813 school age children residing in remote South Australia, researchers ascertained if access to saltwater chlorinated swimming pools in remote Aboriginal communities would be beneficial in reducing middle ear disease levels and hearing loss in school children. The study sample consisted of children in 10 remote Aboriginal communities in South Australia with (n=4) or without (n=6) swimming pools. During the study period, 2107 ear assessments were conducted. In children living in remote Aboriginal communities in South Australia, hearing loss linked to both open and closed middle ear disease remains highly prevalent. In this population, access to swimming pools does not seem to significantly lessen these high levels of middle ear disease or associated hearing loss.