Change on the Revised Hearing Handicap Inventory and associated factors: results from a longitudinal cohort study

Abstract

Objective

Describe how the Revised Hearing Handicap Inventory (RHHI) changes over time and determine associated factors.

Design

Data were from a community-based cohort study. Linear regression models were used to estimate mean baseline and final RHHI scores and change (final minus baseline score). Logistic regression models were used to determine factors associated with substantial RHHI change, defined as ±6 points. Factors included baseline age, sex, race, hearing aid use, and baseline pure-tone average (PTA; 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 4.0 kHz, worse ear).

Study sample

This study included 583 participants (mean age: 66.4 [SD 9.1] years; 59.9% female; 14.2% Minority race) with a mean follow-up time of 7.6 (SD 4.9) years.

Results

Baseline and final RHHI scores were 7.9 and 9.2 points, corresponding to an average 1.3-point increase in hearing difficulty over time. Most participants (65.4%) did not show substantial RHHI change, whereas 21.4% and 13.2% experienced substantial increase and decrease, respectively. In separate multivariable models, PTA and hearing aid use were associated with substantial increase in hearing difficulty, and PTA was associated with substantial decrease.

Conclusions

The average RHHI change was relatively small. Hearing aid use and PTA were associated with RHHI change.

Keywords:

• Demographics/epidemiology
• self-report
• hearing loss
• hearing aids
• cohort study

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The datasets generated and/or analysed during the current study are not publicly available but data are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request and with a data use agreement and institutional approvals according to guidelines of the Medical University of South Carolina.

Additional information

Funding

This work was funded (in part) by the National Institutes of Health/National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders Individual Postdoctoral Fellowship (F32 DC021078), Institutional Training Grant (T32 DC014435) and Clinical Research Center (P50 DC 000422) awarded to the Medical University of South Carolina and by the South Carolina Clinical and Translational Research (SCTR) Institute, with an academic home at the Medical University of South Carolina, NIH/NCATS Grant number UL1 TR001450. This investigation was conducted in a facility constructed with support from Research Facilities Improvement Program Grant Number C06 RR14516 from the NIH/NCRR.