Educational Disparities in Age-Related Hearing Loss and Hearing Aid Use Across Age, Gender, and European Region.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

Affecting 1 in 5 adults in Europe, hearing loss (HL) is linked to adverse health outcomes, including dementia. We aim to investigate educational inequalities in hearing health in Europe and how these inequalities change with age, gender, and region.

Methods

Utilizing 2004-2020 data from the Harmonized Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), a representative sample of Europeans aged 50 and older, we analyze: (1) age-standardized prevalence of HL and hearing aid (HA) use among eligible individuals and (2) educational inequalities therein using the Relative Index of Inequality across age, gender, and European regions.

Results

The prevalence of self-reported HL increases with age, is greater among men, and is consistently higher among those

SUBMITTER: Stonkute D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11822204 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature