Physical activity interventions for adults with hearing loss: a systematic review

Figures & data

Figure 1. Selection of studies for the systematic review based on preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) flow diagram.

Table 1. Characteristics of studies included in the review.

Reference	Participants	Intervention/comparator	Outcomes	Setting and design	Follow-up duration (s)
Jones et al. (2019) Canada	N = 66 (28 F; 38 M) Mean age = 74.5y (SD = 6.2) Hearing aid user, n = 35 (53%) Median HHIE total = 46 (IQR = 38)	Group auditory rehabilitation 1-h per week for 10-weeks guided by a modification of the Ida Institute’s GROUP program. Exercise and walking sessions 1-h per week for 10-weeks of exercise (strength, resistance, and coordination training: 45-min) and walking (outside or on indoor track: 15-min) in accordance with the standardised YMCA Fit for Life 50+ Program. Socialisation & health education 1-h per week for 10-weeks of interactive health education	Functional fitness Gait speed (6-min walk) Chair sit-to-stand (30-s) Timed up and go Grip strength Chair sit and reach Back scratch Balance (one foot) Psychosocial wellbeing deJong Loneliness Scale MOS Geriatric Depression Scale Hearing-related QoL COSI HHIE IOI-HA General health QoL SF-36 Intervention feasibility Adherence Program evaluation – Questionnaire	Clinical, Pilot RCT	Post-intervention (11-weeks)
Tsimaras et al. (2010), Greece	N = 23 (12 F; 11 M) Mean age  =  Control (26.4, SD = 5.9); Intervention = (25.7, SD = 3.9) Mean dB HL = Control (85.0, SD = 6.2); Intervention (83.0, SD = 9.9)	Traditional dance training programme 2 × 90 min per week of traditional dance training. 19 dances were included, (10 Thrance origin, 7 Macedonian origin). Between dances, participants had 10–15 min rest breaks, and a break of 5-mins in the middle of each 90-min session. Auditory stimuli aids: (1) percussion instrument (‘ntaouli’) played by instructor in the middle of participants; (2) dancers with normal hearing provided visual feedback for the participants. No dance training	Functional fitness Aerobic capacity Peak heart rate Respiratory Exchange Rate Peak minute ventilation (V̇E) Peak oxygen consumption (V̇O2); absolute (l/min^−1) and relative (mL/kg/min^−1) Time to exhaustion (seconds) Muscle strength Quadricep peak torque: 300°, 180°, 60° Hamstring peak torque: 300°, 180°, 60°	Laboratory, Non-RCT	Post-intervention (12-weeks)

Abbreviations: COSI, Client-Oriented Scale for Improvement; HHIE, Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly; IOI-HA, International Outcome Inventory for Hearing Aids; MOS, Medical Outcomes Trial-Social Support Survey; QoL, quality of life; RCT, randomised control trial; SF-36, Short Form Health – Survey – 36 items.

Table 2. Cochrane Risk of Bias version 2 assessment for each included study.

Risk of bias domain	Tsimaras et al. (2010)	Jones et al. (2019)
Randomisation process	High risk	Low
Deviations from the intended interventions
Effect of assignment to interventions	Some concerns	Some concerns
Effect of adhering to intervention	High risk	Low
Missing outcome data	Low	Low
Measurement of the outcome	Low	Low
Selection of the reported result	Some concerns	Low
Overall risk of bias	High risk	Some concerns

Jones, C. A., Siever, J., Knuff, K., Van Bergen, C., Mick, P., Little, J., … Miller, H. (2019). Walk, talk and listen: A pilot randomised controlled trial targeting functional fitness and loneliness in older adults with hearing loss. BMJ Open, 9(4), e026169. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2018-026169

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Tsimaras, V. K., Kyriazis, D. A., Christoulas, K. I., Fotiadou, E. G., Kokaridas, D. G., & Angelopoulou, N. A. (2010). The effect of a traditional dance training program on the physical fitness of adults with hearing loss. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 24(4), 1052–1058. doi:10.1519/jsc.0b013e3181ca501c

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Data availability statement

Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no new data were created or analysed in this study.