Association between hearing loss and deprivation among Welsh adults: a cross-sectional observational study

Abstract

Objective To index levels of hearing loss with respect to area-level indices of deprivation in a Welsh population.Design A cross-sectional observational study of all adults (aged >18) that attended Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University (ABMU) Health Board audiology services between 2016 and 2018. Service access, first hearing aid fitting appointment rates and hearing loss at time of first hearing aid provision were used to index population hearing loss versus area-level indices of deprivation based on patient postcode.Setting Primary and secondary care.Participants 59 493 patient entries met the inclusion criteria. Patient entries were grouped by age (18–30, 31–40, 41–50, 51–60, 61–70, 71–80, >80 years) and deprivation decile.Results The interaction between age group and deprivation decile predicted access rate to ABMU audiology services (b=−0.24, t(6858) = −2.86, p<0.01) with audiology services accessed more frequently by the most deprived versus the least deprived decile in every age group (p<0.05), except the >80 years. First hearing aid fitting rates were highest among the most deprived in the four youngest age groups (p<0.05). Severity of hearing loss at the time of first hearing aid fitting was worse among the most deprived in the five oldest age groups (p<0.01).Conclusions Hearing health inequalities are prevalent among adults accessing ABMU audiology services. Our findings suggest that deprivation increases the likelihood of developing hearing loss, brings earlier onset of hearing loss and is linked to delays in getting help for hearing problems. However, it is not possible to know the true scale of these disparities without knowing the hearing health of the Welsh adult population including those who do not seek help for hearing problems.