The number of older Americans is growing, but the number of those with hearing loss is declining, according to data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Researchers compared 2 time periods (1999-2004 and 2011-2012) and found overall annual prevalence of hearing loss dropped from 16% to 14% in 1999-2004, to 28 million adults, then dropped further to 27.7 million in 2011-2012.
Age was the greatest predictor of hearing loss; people in the oldest age group surveyed (aged 60 to 69) had the most loss. Although not included in the study, people aged ≥ 70 years have the highest prevalence of hearing loss of any age group, the authors say. Men of all ages were twice as likely as women to have hearing loss. Non-Hispanic white adults were more likely to have hearing loss than were adults in other ethnic groups. Non-Hispanic black adults had the lowest risk.
The researchers don’t know why hearing loss is becoming less prevalent but suggest reasons include fewer manufacturing jobs, increased use of hearing protectors, less smoking, and better medical care to manage risk factors associated with hearing loss. They did find that lower education level and heavy use of firearms were associated with hearing loss.
“Our findings show a promising trend of better hearing among adults that spans more than half a century,” says Howard Hoffman, MA, first author on the paper and director of the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders Epidemiology and Statistics Program. “The decline in hearing loss rates among adults aged < 70 years suggests that age-related hearing loss may be delayed until later in life. This is good news because for those who do develop hearing loss, they will have experienced more quality years of life with better hearing than earlier generations."