Bell Rebecca K, Dillard Lauren K, McRackan Theodore R, Zhan Kevin Y, Dubno Judy R, Saunders James E, Dixon Peter R
Department of Otolaryngology, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, New Hampshire, USA.
Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, USA.
Ear Hear. 2025;46(1):223-229. doi: 10.1097/AUD.0000000000001573. Epub 2024 Sep 13.
Hispanic/Latino adults are less likely than non-Hispanic White adults to seek treatment for hearing disability. While differential socioeconomic factors may contribute to this finding, differences in phonology and syntax in the Spanish, versus English, language may also influence patient perception of hearing disability. The objective of this study is to investigate the association between primary language spoken and participant perception of hearing disability.
This study represents a cross-sectional cohort study using National Health and Nutrition Examination Study cycles 2015-2016 and 2017-2020 data. Multivariable logistic regressions estimated the association between respondent-selected interview language, which was used as a proxy for primary spoken language, and participant perception of hearing disability. Models were adjusted for age, gender, highest degree of education, pure-tone average, and self-reported general health. Participants included 4687 individuals from the United States population who elected to speak English (n = 4083) or Spanish (n = 604) during the interview. Perception of hearing disability was assessed by (1) frequency of reported difficulty in following a conversation in noise, (2) frequency with which hearing caused respondents to experience frustration when talking with members of their family or friends, and (3) participants' subjective overall assessment of their hearing.
Speaking Spanish, versus English, as a primary language was associated with a 42% lower odds of reporting difficulty hearing and understanding in background noise (odds ratio [OR]: 0.58, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.48 to 0.70). Spanish speakers had 28% lower odds of reporting feeling frustrated when talking to family members or friends due to hearing (OR: 0.72, 95% CI: 0.59 to 0.88) as compared with the English-speaking cohort. Speaking Spanish additionally conferred 31% lower odds of describing their own general hearing as "a little trouble to deaf" than participants speaking English (OR: 0.69, 95% CI: 0.53 to 0.90). These observed associations were independent of age, gender, highest degree of education, better pure-tone average? and self-reported general health.
Primary Spanish speakers may be less likely than English speakers to report hearing-related disability, an effect which may be independent of ethnicity. Patient perception of hearing-related disability is an important component of the assessment of and counseling for hearing-related disability and discussion of the need for amplification or other hearing intervention.
西班牙裔/拉丁裔成年人比非西班牙裔白人成年人寻求听力残疾治疗的可能性更低。虽然社会经济因素差异可能导致这一结果，但西班牙语和英语在语音和句法上的差异也可能影响患者对听力残疾的认知。本研究的目的是调查主要使用的语言与参与者对听力残疾的认知之间的关联。
本研究采用2015 - 2016年和2017 - 2020年国家健康与营养检查调查数据进行横断面队列研究。多变量逻辑回归估计了受访者选择的访谈语言（用作主要口语语言的代理）与参与者对听力残疾的认知之间的关联。模型对年龄、性别、最高教育程度、纯音平均值和自我报告的总体健康状况进行了调整。参与者包括4687名来自美国人群的个体，他们在访谈中选择说英语（n = 4083）或西班牙语（n = 604）。通过以下方式评估听力残疾认知：（1）报告在嘈杂环境中理解对话困难的频率；（2）听力导致受访者在与家人或朋友交谈时感到沮丧的频率；（3）参与者对自己听力的主观总体评估。
以西班牙语而非英语作为主要语言，报告在背景噪音中听力和理解困难的几率降低42%（优势比[OR]：0.58，95%置信区间[CI]：0.48至0.70）。与说英语的队列相比，说西班牙语的人因听力问题在与家人或朋友交谈时感到沮丧的几率降低28%（OR：0.72，95% CI：0.59至0.88）。与说英语的参与者相比，说西班牙语的人将自己的总体听力描述为“有点困难到失聪”的几率还降低31%（OR：0.69，95% CI：0.53至0.90）。这些观察到的关联独立于年龄、性别、最高教育程度、更好的纯音平均值和自我报告的总体健康状况。
主要说西班牙语的人可能比说英语的人报告听力相关残疾的可能性更低，这种影响可能与种族无关。患者对听力相关残疾的认知是听力相关残疾评估、咨询以及讨论放大或其他听力干预需求的重要组成部分。
