Social Isolation and Hearing Loss in the Elderly

Abstract

Objectives:

By the end of the presentation the participant should better understand 1) the association between social isolation and hearing loss in the elderly; and 2) the consequences of social isolation and age-related hearing loss on the health and functioning of older adults.

Methods:

Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 1999-2006 were used to calculate odds ratios (OR) for the cross-sectional association between social isolation and hearing level using multivariate logistic regression models. Social isolation was defined as a binary variable based on the presence or absence of emotional support, financial support, close friends, spouse, or partner. Hearing level was defined by pure tone average in the better hearing ear. Results were stratified by age categories (60-69 and 70+).

Results:

1613 NHANES participants completed hearing testing and the social support questionnaire. Nine hundred and forty-eight were aged 60-69, and 664 were older than 70. The association between social isolation and 25 dB increments of hearing loss was significant in the 60-69 year old age group (OR = 2.4, 95% CI = (1.36, 4.23) P = 0.003) but not in the 70+ age group (OR = 1.06, 95% CI = (0.62, 1.82), P = 0.82). The association in the 60-69 year old age group was significantly stronger in women (OR = 4.0, 95% CI = (2.21, 7.36), P < 0.001) than men (OR = 0.98, 95% CI = (0.53,1.84), P = 0.96).

Conclusions:

There was a strong association between social isolation and hearing loss in 60-69 year old women. The finding may contribute to our understanding of the consequences of hearing loss on the aging process.