Sex-specific predictors of hearing-aid use in older persons: The age, gene/environment susceptibility - Reykjavik study

Abstract

Objective: We estimate the prevalence of hearing-aid use in Iceland and identify sex-specific factors associated with use. Design: Population-based cohort study. Study sample: A total of 5172 age, gene/environment susceptibility - Reykjavik study (AGES-RS) participants, aged 67 to 96 years (mean age 76.5 years), who completed air-conduction and pure-tone audiometry. Results: Hearing-aid use was reported by 23.0% of men and 15.9% of women in the cohort, although among participants with at least moderate hearing loss in the better ear (pure-tone average [PTA] of thresholds at 0.5, 1, 2, and 4 kHz ≥ 35 dB hearing level [HL]) it was 49.9% and did not differ by sex. Self-reported hearing loss was the strongest predictor of hearing-aid use in men [OR: 2.68 (95% CI: 1.77, 4.08)] and women [OR: 3.07 (95% CI: 1.94, 4.86)], followed by hearing loss severity based on audiometry. Having diabetes or osteoarthritis were significant positive predictors of use in men, whereas greater physical activity and unimpaired cognitive status were important in women. Conclusions: Hearing-aid use was comparable in Icelandic men and women with moderate or greater hearing loss. Self-recognition of hearing loss was the factor most predictive of hearing-aid use; other influential factors differed for men and women.

Key Words::

• Age-related hearing loss
• hearing impairment
• hearing aids
• older persons
• sex differences

Acknowledgements

The authors thank the AGES-RS participants; without whom the study would not be possible. Sources of funding: This work was supported by the Intramural Research Programs of the National Institute of Aging ZIAAG007380) and the National Eye Institute (ZIAEY000401), and the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (IAA Y2-DC-1004-02), National Institutes of Health (N01-AG-12100), Bethesda, Maryland, USA; the Icelandic Heart Association, Kopavogur, Iceland; the Icelandic Parliament, Reykjavik, Iceland; the University of Iceland Research Fund, Reykjavik, Iceland; and the Helga Jonsdottir and Sigurlidi Kristjansson Research Fund, Reykjavik, Iceland. The sponsors had no role in the design, methods, subject recruitment, data collection, data analysis, or preparation of the paper.

Declaration of interest: The authors have no proprietary or commercial interest in any materials discussed in this article. No financial disclosures were reported by the authors of this paper.