Résumé :
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[BDSP. Notice produite par INIST-CNRS R0xtCrDD. Diffusion soumise à autorisation]. Objectives. We determined factors associated with hearing aid acquisition in older adults. Methods. We conducted a population-based, prospective study that used information from 3 examinations performed on study participants as part of the Epidemiology of Hearing Loss Study (1993-2005). We included participants (n=718 ; mean age=70.5 years) who exhibited hearing loss at baseline or the first follow-up and had no prior history of hearing aid use. We defined hearing loss as a pure tone threshold average (PTA) at 0.5,1,2, and 4 kilohertz in the better ear of greater than 25 decibels Hearing Level. Results. The 10-year cumulative incidence of hearing aid acquisition was 35.7%. Associated factors included education (college graduate vs all others : hazard ratio [HR]=2.5 ; 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.5,4.1), self-perception of hearing (poor vs good or better : HR=2.5 ; 95% CI=1.3,5.0), score on a perceived hearing handicap inventory (+1 difference : HR=1.1 ; 95% CI=1.0,1.1), and PTA (+5 dB difference : HR=1.4 ; 95% CI=1.2,1.6). Conclusions. The low rate of hearing aid ownership among older adults is a problem that still needs to be addressed.
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