Hearing Loss and Frailty among Older Adults: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

Hearing loss may contribute to frailty through cognitive and physical decline, but population-based evidence using validated measures remains scarce. We investigated the association of hearing loss with phenotypic frailty and its individual components and explored the potential protective role of hearing aid use.

Design

Cross-sectional study of community-dwelling older adults at visit 6 (2016-2017) of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study, a cohort study of older adults from 4 U.S. communities (Washington County, MD; Forsyth County, NC; Jackson, MS; and Minneapolis, MN).

Setting and participants

Population-based study of 3179 participants (mean age = 79.2 years, 58.9% female).

Methods

Pure-tone audiometry at 0.5-4 kHz was used to asses

SUBMITTER: Assi S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10615781 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature