Is hearing perception related to the occurrence of falls among older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic? A longitudinal analysis

This study estimated the association between hearing perception over time and the occurrence of falls among older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a longitudinal study, with data from the third wave of household interviews (2017/2019) and the fourth wave of telephone interviews from the EpiFloripa Idoso study (2021/2022), a population-based cohort with older adults aged 60 years or older, carried out since 2009 in the city of Florianópolis, state of Santa Catarina, Brazil. Fall event in the last year was the dependent variable in this study, while the perception of hearing over time was the independent variable. Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the relation of the perception of hearing loss between the third and fourth waves of the study and the occurrence of falls. A total of 289 older adults participated in the study, mostly females (69.1%), aged 70 to 79 years (53.4%), and with 12 or more years of schooling (41%). Older adults who remained with impaired hearing were 181% more likely (OR = 2.81; 95%CI: 1.08-7.34) of falling, when compared to those without impaired hearing. In conclusion, this study results provide evidence of the association between hearing difficulty in older people and a higher chance of falls. Outcomes suggest the need for interventions aimed at auditory rehabilitation. Furthermore, an integrated and multifaceted approach is essential to mitigate the risks of falls in this age group, considering both hearing needs and fall prevention measures.