Determinants of Hearing Aid Acquisition in Older Adults

Objectives. We determined factors associated with hearing aid acquisition in older adults. Methods. We conducted a population-based, prospective study that used information from 3 examinations performed on study participants as part of the Epidemiology of Hearing Loss Study (1993-2005). We included participants (n=718; mean age=70.5 years) who exhibited hearing loss at baseline or the first follow-up and had no prior history of hearing aid use. We defined hearing loss as a pure tone threshold average (PTA) at 0.5, 1, 2, and 4 kilohertz in the better ear of greater than 25 decibels Hearing Level. Results. The 10-year cumulative incidence of hearing aid acquisition was 35.7%. Associated factors included education (college graduate vs all others: hazard ratio [HR]=2.5; 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.5, 4.1), self-perception of hearing (poor vs good or better: HR =2.5; 95% CI=1.3, 5.0), score on a perceived hearing handicap inventory (+1 difference: HR=1.1; 95% CI=1.0, 1.1), and PTA (+5 dB difference: HR=1.4; 95% CI=1.2, 1.6). Conclusions. The low rate of hearing aid ownership among older adults is a problem that still needs to be addressed. (Am J Public Health. 2011;101: 1449-1455. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2010.300078)