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. 2008 Sep-Oct;6(5):441-7.
doi: 10.1370/afm.890.

The Hearing-Dependent Daily Activities Scale to evaluate impact of hearing loss in older people

Jesús López-Torres Hidalgo  1 , Clotilde Boix Gras, Juan Manuel Téllez Lapeira, Ignacio Párraga Martínez, Maria Angeles López Verdejo, Francisco Escobar Rabadán, Angel Otero Puime
Affiliations

The Hearing-Dependent Daily Activities Scale to evaluate impact of hearing loss in older people

Jesús López-Torres Hidalgo et al. Ann Fam Med. 2008 Sep-Oct.

Abstract

Purpose: We wanted to design and validate the Hearing-Dependent Daily Activities (HDDA) Scale as a means of identifying the impact of hearing loss in older persons by measuring capacity to carry out hearing-dependent activities.

Methods: We undertook a cross-sectional, observational study to validate a scale administered during a personal interview with 1,160 participants aged 65 years and older. When using the instrument to identify patients with hearing impairment, sensitivity and specificity were determined using an audiogram with Ventry and Weinstein criteria as the criterion standard. Standardized audiometries were performed blindly, without knowledge of results of the HDDA Scale.

Results: According to the criterion standard, 506 participants had hearing impairment (43.6%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 40.8%-46.5%). The HDDA scale showed high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha =0.91). Regarding hearing impairment criteria, the HDDA scale obtained a sensitivity of 80.0% (95% CI, 76.3%-83.3%) and a specificity of 70.2% (95% CI, 66.5%-73.5%).

Conclusions: The HDDA scale constitutes a clinically useful instrument for identifying the impact of hearing loss on daily life in the elderly, a condition frequently overlooked during routine medical check-ups. This tool has acceptable psychometric properties and high internal consistency.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Distribution of Hearing-Dependent Daily Activities Scale scores by participant’s sex (N = 1,160 participants).
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
ROC curve for HDDA Scale in detecting hearing loss in older adults (N = 1,160 patients). ROC = receiver operating characteristic; HDDA = Hearing-Dependent Daily Activities.
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