Racial/Ethnic and Socioeconomic Disparities in Hearing Care among Older Americans

Objectives: Although hearing impairment is prevalent in older adults and may carry implications for cognitive, social, and physical functioning, little is known about hearing care among older minority adults. The aims of this study were: (1) describe factors that are associated with disparities in hearing health care among older adults and (2) assess the current reach of hearing care delivery to older adults. Methods: We analyzed nationally-representative, cross-sectional data from 1544 older adults ≥70 years with audiometry and hearing health care data from the 2005-2006, 2009-2010 National Health and Nutritional Examination Surveys. The 2 primary outcomes were recent hearing screening (≤4 years) and, for those with hearing loss, regular hearing aid use (≥5 h/wk in the past 12 months). Disparities-related covariates included demographics, insurance status, general health, and health care utilization. Results: Adjusting for age and better ear speech-frequency (0.5-4 kHz), pure tone average (PTA), race (odds ratio [OR] = 1.68, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.21-2.33, Blacks compared with Whites) and education (OR = 1.63, 95% CI: 1.05-2.52 ≥college versus