2023 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Conference
March 5-7, 2023 • Cincinnati, OH
10/13/2017 | 3:30 PM - 5:30 PM | Prevalence of Unilateral Hearing Loss and Impact on Communication in US Adults | East Ballroom at Shalala Student Services Building
Prevalence of Unilateral Hearing Loss and Impact on Communication in US Adults
Background: Unilateral hearing loss (UHL) has been found to have a negative impact on children’s educational performance, marked by lower language scores relative to normal hearing peers. However, the impact of UHL on adults remains unknown. We evaluated the prevalence of UHL in US adults, associated factors of UHL, and UHL’s impact on communication.
Methods: We analyzed data from the 2011-2012 National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey during which participants aged 20-69 years completed a full audiometric evaluation (n=3,831). UHL was defined as a speech frequency pure-tone average (PTA) >=25dB in worse hearing ear and <25dB in better hearing ear. Logistic regression was used to examine the association between UHL and relevant factors. Analyses incorporated sampling weights to yield results that are generalizable to the US population.
Results: The prevalence of UHL was 7.6% [95%CI: 6.3-8.9%] in US adults. In multivariate models, demographic factors associated with UHL included older age (OR 1.09 [95%CI 1.07-1.10] p<0.001), male sex (OR 2.44 [95% CI: 1.49-4.05] p=0.001), identifying as white (OR 1.51 [95% CI: 1.10-2.08] p=0.02), and lower education (OR 1.51 [95% CI 1.06-2.17] p=0.03). UHL was not associated with income, occupational or recreational noise exposure, or medical comorbidities. Among adults with UHL, 40.3% [95%CI: 32.1-48.5%] reported subjective trouble with hearing. Adults with UHL were not likely to report difficulties with hearing a voice across a quiet room, but more likely to report frustration when talking to family and friends in comparison to normal hearing adults (OR: 2.67 [95%CI: 1.28-5.56] p=0.01).
Conclusions:Prevalence of UHL differs by age, sex, racial/ethnic groups, and education. Adults with UHL report different communicative difficulties from those with bilateral hearing loss. Further research is needed to understand additional factors underlying the hearing loss, and ways to intervene earlier with adults with UHL, including listening device and communicative support.
- Participants will be able to understand the prevalence of unilateral hearing loss in US adults.
- Participants will be able to recognize the demographic factors associated with unilateral hearing loss.
- Participants will be able to describe the unique impact of unilateral hearing loss on communication of the US adults.
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Presenters/Authors
Janet Choi
(), University of Southern California, janet.choi@med.usc.edu;
Janet S. Choi, MD MPH is an Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery resident physician at the University of Southern California. Her research interests include global perception of hearing loss and listening devices, and development of an accessible hearing health care intervention for local and global population.
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Elina Kari
(), elina.kari@med.usc.edu;
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Rick Friedman
(), rick.friedman@med.usc.edu;
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Laurel Fisher
(), laurel.fisher@med.usc.edu;
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