Department of Population Health Sciences, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Am J Audiol. 2021 Dec 9;30(4):1067-1075. doi: 10.1044/2021_AJA-21-00050. Epub 2021 Nov 3.
Hearing loss (HL) is common among middle-age and older adults, but hearing aid adoption is low. The purpose of this study was to measure the 10-year incidence of hearing aid adoption in a sample of primarily middle-age adults with high-frequency HL and identify factors associated with hearing aid adoption.
This study included 579 adults (ages 34-80 years) with high-frequency pure-tone average > 25 dB HL (3-8 kHz) enrolled in the Beaver Dam Offspring Study. Hearing aid adoption was measured at 5- and 10-year follow-up examinations. Cox discrete-time proportional hazards models were used to evaluate factors associated with hearing aid adoption (presented as hazards ratios [HRs] and 95% confidence intervals [95% CI]).
The 10-year cumulative incidence of hearing aid adoption was 14 per 1,000 person years. Factors significantly associated with adoption in a multivariable model were higher education (vs. 16+ years; 0-12: HR: 0.36, 95% CI [0.19, 0.69]; 13-15: HR: 0.52, 95% CI [0.27, 0.98]), worse high-frequency pure-tone average (per +1 dB; HR: 1.04, 95% CI [1.02, 1.06]), self-reported hearing handicap (screening versions of the Hearing Handicap Inventory score > 8; HR: 1.85, 95% CI [1.02, 3.38]), answering yes to "Do friends and relatives think you have a hearing problem?" (HR: 3.18, 95% CI [1.60, 6.33]) and using closed captions (HR: 2.86, 95% CI [1.08, 7.57]). Effects of age and sex were not significant.
Hearing aid adoption rates were low. Hearing sensitivity, socioeconomic status, and measures of the impact of HL on daily life were associated with adoption. Provider awareness of associated factors can contribute to timely and appropriate intervention.
听力损失（HL）在中年和老年人中很常见，但助听器的采用率却很低。本研究的目的是在一个高频 HL 主要为中年成年人的样本中测量 10 年内助听器采用的发生率，并确定与助听器采用相关的因素。
本研究包括 579 名高频纯音平均听力 > 25dB HL（3-8kHz）的成年人（年龄 34-80 岁），他们参加了比弗大坝后代研究。在 5 年和 10 年的随访检查中测量助听器的采用情况。Cox 离散时间比例风险模型用于评估与助听器采用相关的因素（以危害比[HR]和 95%置信区间[95%CI]表示）。
10 年累积助听器采用率为每 1000 人年 14 例。多变量模型中与采用显著相关的因素包括较高的教育程度（与 16 年以上教育程度相比；0-12 年：HR：0.36，95%CI[0.19，0.69]；13-15 年：HR：0.52，95%CI[0.27，0.98]）、更高的高频纯音平均听力（每增加 1dB；HR：1.04，95%CI[1.02，1.06]）、自我报告的听力障碍（听力障碍清单的筛查版本得分>8；HR：1.85，95%CI[1.02，3.38]）、回答“朋友和亲戚是否认为你有听力问题？”（HR：3.18，95%CI[1.60，6.33]）和使用字幕（HR：2.86，95%CI[1.08，7.57]）。年龄和性别的影响不显著。
助听器的采用率较低。听力敏感度、社会经济地位以及 HL 对日常生活的影响的衡量标准与采用有关。提供者对相关因素的认识可以促进及时和适当的干预。
