Factors Associated With Self-Perceived Hearing Handicap in Adults From Hispanic/Latino Background: Findings From the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos.
Michelle L Arnold, Kathryn Hyer, Brent J Small and 6 others
PMID 33625058WHAT IT FOUND
In Hispanic/Latino adults with hearing loss, self-reported hearing loss and higher acculturation to English predicted greater perceived handicap.
However, overall handicap scores were lower than in non-Hispanic White adults, suggesting standard screening tools may miss difficulties in this population.
Key findings
01Self-reported hearing loss was the strongest predictor of clinically significant hearing handicap, with those reporting 'Yes' having 9.9 times the odds of those reporting 'No'.
02Higher acculturation to English (SASH language scores) was associated with increased odds of reporting significant hearing handicap, while higher household income was associated with lower odds.
03Despite audiometrically confirmed hearing loss, the median Hearing Handicap Inventory score was 0, indicating no self-perceived handicap for the majority of the sample.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study is cross-sectional, so it cannot determine causality. The HCHS/SOL cohort is not nationally representative of all US Hispanic/Latino adults, limiting generalizability. The HHI-S was validated primarily in Mexican-background adults, so it may not accurately capture handicap in other Hispanic/Latino subgroups. The low overall handicap scores (median 0) may reflect a cultural difference in reporting or a lack of sensitivity in the measure rather than an absence of functional difficulty.
Declared interests
None of the authors had any financial or other conflicts of interest. The study was supported by NIH grants.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that low HHI-S scores indicate an absence of hearing difficulty in Hispanic/Latino patients. The study found that the median score was zero even among those with confirmed hearing loss, which may reflect measurement limitations or cultural differences in reporting rather than a lack of functional impairment.