Hearing Loss and Socioeconomic Status: A Statistical Review of All 67 Florida Counties
Submitted by:
Devon Durham
University of South Florida
Presenter(s):
Marsadi Parliament, AuD
Devon Durham, BS
Victoria Sanchez, AuD, PhD
Abstract
Introduction
Approximately 13% of adults 18 and older had some difficulty hearing even when using a hearing aid in the United States.1 Hearing difficulties increase with age and up to 26.8% of adults 65 and older have some difficulty hearing.1 Hearing loss is associated with a variety of poor health outcomes such as dementia, depression, increased risk of falls, poor physical health, cognitive decline, and increased healthcare costs.2 Because of the large portion of aging adults that are effected by hearing loss, it is a major public health and social concern. To our knowledge, there is limited data that explores the demographic and socioeconomic status of counties that may be disproportionately affected with hearing loss.
Objectives
To compare hearing loss rates in adults in the 67 Florida counties and socioeconomic status of each county.
Methods
Hearing loss rates were collected using Florida Health Charts from 2020. Demographic and socioeconomic data was collected using County Health Rankings and Roadmaps for each Florida county from 2018-2021, depending on the variable. Linear regression was used with a p-value of less than 0.05 set as significant.
Results
The mean percentage of hearing loss for each county for individuals aged 18-64 is 2.4% (95% CI 2.2-2.6) and those older than 64 is 15.2 (95% CI 14.2-16.1). Counties with lower rates of Hispanics and Asians had less rates of adult hearing loss while counties with higher rates of non-Hispanic whites had the highest rates of hearing loss (p-value
Objectives
To compare hearing loss rates in adults in the 67 Florida counties and socioeconomic status of each county.
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