Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2016 Feb;28(1):68-94.
doi: 10.1177/0898264315585505. Epub 2015 May 7.

Racial/Ethnic and Socioeconomic Disparities in Hearing Health Care Among Older Americans

Carrie L Nieman  1 , Nicole Marrone  2 , Sarah L Szanton  3 , Roland J Thorpe Jr  4 , Frank R Lin  5
Affiliations

Racial/Ethnic and Socioeconomic Disparities in Hearing Health Care Among Older Americans

Carrie L Nieman et al. J Aging Health. 2016 Feb.

Abstract

Objective: Hearing impairment is highly prevalent, but little is known about hearing health care among older minority adults.

Method: We analyzed nationally representative, cross-sectional data from 1,544 older adults ≥ 70 years with audiometry and hearing care data from the 2005-2006 and 2009-2010 National Health and Nutritional Examination Surveys.

Results: After adjusting for age and speech frequency pure tone average, Blacks (odds ratio [OR] = 1.68, vs. Whites) and those with greater education (OR = 1.63, ≥ college vs. < high school) were more likely to report recent hearing testing, while White older adults and those with greater socioeconomic status were more likely to report regular hearing aid use (all ps < .05). Based on a multivariate analysis, Blacks were not more likely than Whites to use hearing aids despite being more likely to have had recent hearing testing.

Discussion: Racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities exist in hearing health care and represent critical areas for research and intervention.

Keywords: health care disparities; hearing health care; hearing loss; minority health; older adults.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality . Priority Populations. Rockville, MD.: 2014. 2013 National Healthcare Disparities Report. AHRQ Publication No. 14-0005.
    1. Bainbridge KE, Ramachandran V. Hearing aid use among older U.S. adults: The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2005-2006 and 2009-2010. Ear and Hearing. 2014;35:289–294. doi:10.1097/01.aud. 0000441036.40169.29. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Cacciatore F, Napoli C, Abete P, Marciano E, Triassi M, Rengo F. Quality of life determinants and hearing function in an elderly population: Osservatorio geriatrico campano study group. Gerontology. 1999;45:323–328. - PubMed
    1. Carson AJ, Pichora-Fuller MK. Health promotion and audiology: The community-clinic. Journal of the Academy of Rehabilitation Audiology. 1997;30:29–51.
    1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC Health Disparities and Inequalities Report—United States. MMWR Supplements. 2013;62(Suppl. 3):1–187. - PubMed

Publication types