Prevalence and associated factors of hearing aid use among older adults in Chile

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of use of hearing aids by older adults in Chile and the influence of some variables such as education level, income level and geographic area of residence on the prevalence of hearing aids. Design: A national cross-sectional survey which was carried out in 2009. Study sample: A representative sample of 4766 Chilean older adults aged 60 years and above. Results: The percentage of older adults in Chile who self-reported hearing problems and used hearing aids was 8.9%. Such prevalence increased for adults living in urban areas and for those who knew about the new Chilean programme of universal access to health services (AUGE). For older adults who did not know about this programme, significant associations between the use of hearing aids and the variables of age, geographic area of residence, and income level were found. Conclusions: People’s knowledge about AUGE programme may positively influence the use of hearing aids, although a direct effect cannot be attributed.

Key Words:

• Aging
• hearing aids
• demographics/epidemiology
• hearing aid satisfaction

Acknowledgements

Eduardo L. Fuentes and Felipe Cardemil received support from the National Commission for Scientific and Technological Research (CONICYT) to pursue doctoral studies in Chile.

Declaration of interest

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.