Uptake of Hearing Aids and Hearing Assistive Technology in a Working Population: Longitudinal Analyses of The Netherlands Longitudinal Study on Hearing.
Lisette M van Leeuwen, Thadé P M Goderie, Marieke F van Wier and 3 others
PMID 33974788WHAT IT FOUND
Most eligible employees did not get hearing aids.
Those who did were married or reported worse hearing. Men with high job demands were also more likely to adopt them. Self-reported disability predicted uptake better than measured hearing loss.
Key findings
01Being married and having higher self-reported hearing disability were associated with increased odds of taking up hearing aids or assistive technology within 5 years.
02Higher perceived job demand was associated with increased odds of uptake in males, but not in females.
03Measured speech recognition ability in noise was not significantly associated with uptake after adjusting for self-reported hearing disability.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The sample size was relatively small (218 participants), and the study used a convenience sample that may be more aware of hearing issues than the general population. Participants were already eligible for hearing aids based on hearing tests, meaning those who had already adopted devices were excluded, potentially underestimating uptake rates in the wider working population. The study did not use multivariable models to see which factors work together to predict uptake, only examining factors independently. Most participants were female and highly educated, which may not represent the broader working population.
Declared interests
Data collection was supported by the Heinsius-Houbolt Foundation, Sonova AG (a hearing aid manufacturer), and the EMGO+ Institute. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that objective hearing loss severity predicts whether an employee will adopt hearing aids. This study found that self-reported hearing disability and social factors like marriage were stronger predictors, while measured speech recognition in noise was not significant after adjustment.