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Preliminary Evidence on the Impact of Hearing Aid Use on Falls Risk in Individuals With Self-Reported Hearing Loss.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Riska, KM; Peskoe, SB; Gordee, A; Kuchibhatla, M; Smith, SL
Published in: Am J Audiol
June 14, 2021

Purpose Falls are considered a significant public health issue, and hearing loss has been shown to be an independent risk factor for falls. The primary objective of this study was to determine if hearing aid use modified (reduced) the association. We hypothesized that routine hearing aid use would reduce the impact of hearing loss on the odds of falling. If hearing aid users have reduced odds of falling, then that would have an important impact on falls prevention health care. Method Data from 8,091 individuals 40 years of age and older who completed National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) cycles 1999-2004 were used. NHANES comprises a series of cross-sectional studies, each of which is representative of the total civilian noninstitutionalized population of children and adults in the United States, enabling unbiased national estimates of health that can be independently reproduced. Self-reported hearing, hearing aid status, falls history, and comorbidities were extracted and analyzed using regression modeling. Results The 8,091 individuals were grouped based on a self-reported history of falls in the last year. Self-reported hearing loss was significantly associated with odds of falling. Categorizing individuals based on routine hearing aid use was included as an interaction term in the fully adjusted models and was not significant, suggesting no difference in falls based on hearing aid status. Conclusions The unique results of the current study show that when examining self-reported hearing in a nationally representative sample, hearing aid use does not appear to mitigate or modify the association between self-reported hearing and falls. Future research designs are highlighted to address limitations identified using NHANES data for this research and focus on the use of experimental designs to further understand the association between hearing loss and falls, including whether hearing loss may be a modifiable risk factor for falls. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.14642784.

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Published In

Am J Audiol

DOI

EISSN

1558-9137

Publication Date

June 14, 2021

Volume

30

Issue

2

Start / End Page

376 / 384

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • United States
  • Self Report
  • Otorhinolaryngology
  • Nutrition Surveys
  • Humans
  • Hearing Loss
  • Hearing Aids
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Child
  • Adult
 

Citation

APA
Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
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Riska, K. M., Peskoe, S. B., Gordee, A., Kuchibhatla, M., & Smith, S. L. (2021). Preliminary Evidence on the Impact of Hearing Aid Use on Falls Risk in Individuals With Self-Reported Hearing Loss. Am J Audiol, 30(2), 376–384. https://doi.org/10.1044/2021_AJA-20-00179
Riska, Kristal M., Sarah B. Peskoe, Alex Gordee, Maragatha Kuchibhatla, and Sherri L. Smith. “Preliminary Evidence on the Impact of Hearing Aid Use on Falls Risk in Individuals With Self-Reported Hearing Loss.Am J Audiol 30, no. 2 (June 14, 2021): 376–84. https://doi.org/10.1044/2021_AJA-20-00179.
Riska KM, Peskoe SB, Gordee A, Kuchibhatla M, Smith SL. Preliminary Evidence on the Impact of Hearing Aid Use on Falls Risk in Individuals With Self-Reported Hearing Loss. Am J Audiol. 2021 Jun 14;30(2):376–84.
Riska, Kristal M., et al. “Preliminary Evidence on the Impact of Hearing Aid Use on Falls Risk in Individuals With Self-Reported Hearing Loss.Am J Audiol, vol. 30, no. 2, June 2021, pp. 376–84. Pubmed, doi:10.1044/2021_AJA-20-00179.
Riska KM, Peskoe SB, Gordee A, Kuchibhatla M, Smith SL. Preliminary Evidence on the Impact of Hearing Aid Use on Falls Risk in Individuals With Self-Reported Hearing Loss. Am J Audiol. 2021 Jun 14;30(2):376–384.

Published In

Am J Audiol

DOI

EISSN

1558-9137

Publication Date

June 14, 2021

Volume

30

Issue

2

Start / End Page

376 / 384

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • United States
  • Self Report
  • Otorhinolaryngology
  • Nutrition Surveys
  • Humans
  • Hearing Loss
  • Hearing Aids
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Child
  • Adult