Page 28 - IJPS-8-1

International Journal of
Population Studies Hearing loss, hearing aids, and cognitive function

Figure 2. Plots of age-related changes in cognitive function associated with self-reported hearing loss and hearing aid use in U.S. older adults,
HRS 1998 – 2018.
HRS: Health and Retirement Study. Results were calculated from estimates reported, as shown in Table 2. (a) Statistically significant intercept difference
(P < 0.05) related to hearing loss. (b) Statistically significant slope difference (P < 0.05) related to hearing loss. (c) Statistically significant intercept
difference (P < 0.05) related to hearing aid use. (d) Statistically significant slope difference (P < 0.05) related to hearing aid use.
Several limitations of this analysis should be noted. First, likely to receive a hearing test compared with White, Black,
hearing function and hearing aid use were self-reported and Hispanic individuals; and substantially less likely to
measures. Although pure-tone audiometry is the gold use hearing aids compared to White adults (Choi, Kari,
standard for clinically assessing hearing sensitivity (West, Friedman, et al., 2018). Additional research is needed to
Smith, and Dupre, 2020), studies also suggest that it may not further understand these racial/ethnic differences in hearing,
be able to measure the experience of hearing disability in real access to hearing healthcare, and their possible implications
world environments (Demeester, Topsakal, Hendrickx, et al., for changes in cognitive function at older ages.
2012), especially regarding an individual’s reported listening
comprehension in group conversations (Gatehouse and 5. Conclusion
Noble, 2004) or in noisy environments (Kramer, Kapteyn, In summary, the current findings extend previous research
Festen, et al., 1996). Furthermore, audiometric data are on the link between hearing loss and cognition by providing
rarely assessed on repeated occasions, particularly among the national-level evidence of age-related changes in hearing
general population at a national level. A second limitation status and cognition, and how these associations vary by
of this study is the temporality of the measures. Although major racial/ethnic groups in the United States. Timely
the current data are longitudinal, measures of hearing and identification of hearing loss and subsequent acquisition of
cognitive function were both assessed at the same time hearing aids are important considerations for reducing the
points (i.e., interviews) over the study period. Therefore, burden of ADRD.
the results of this study should be considered associational,
and we remain guarded in forming causal interpretations Funding
of the findings. Finally, although we extend prior research
on hearing and cognitive function by examining major J.S. West is supported by the Duke Aging Center Postdoctoral
population subgroups (non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Research Training Grant (NIA T32 AG000029).
Black, and Hispanic older adults), we lacked sufficient data
on other U.S. racial/ethnic groups. There is some evidence Conflicts of interest
to suggest that Asian Americans with hearing loss are less The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Volume 8 Issue 1 (2022) 22 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.v8i1.1308