title: Hearing loss and hearing aid use in Hispanic adults: results from the Hispanic Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
abstract: Data from the Hispanic Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were employed to investigate the prevalence of hearing loss and hearing aid use in Mexican-American, Cuban-American, and Puerto Rican adults. Hearing loss was 6 to 14 times more prevalent in older (ages 54 to 74) vs younger (ages 20 through 34) subjects. Cuban Americans and Mexican Americans tended to have a similar prevalence of hearing loss, whereas Puerto Ricans had markedly lower rates. Mexican-American men had higher rates of hearing loss than Mexican-American women. The prevalence of hearing aid use among hearing-impaired individuals ranged from 2% to 11%. Implications for future research are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Miami School of Medicine, FL 33101.
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Carlson
authors.forename: H M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Ray
authors.forename: K S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Markides
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003462:Cuba / Q000208:ethnology; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006310:Hearing Aids / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006311:Hearing Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017058:Mexican Americans / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008875:Middle Aged; D009309:National Center for Health Statistics, U.S.; D015995:Prevalence; D011647:Puerto Rico / Q000208:ethnology; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology