title: Hearing among 75-year-old people in three Nordic localities: a comparative study.
abstract: The aim of this study was to compare auditory functions and to analyse the prevalence of hearing impairment and the relationship of self-reported hearing disability with audiometric test results among 75-year-old people in three Nordic localities. The representative samples came from Glostrup, Denmark (n = 571), Göteborg, Sweden (n =450), and Jyväskylä, Finland (n =388). The median pure-tone thresholds were rather similar in all three populations. The prevalence of moderate hearing impairment varied between 26% and 34% in men, and between 17% and 23% in women. The corresponding figures in the prevalence of self-reported hearing difficulties were 41%-57%, and 28%-37%. The self-reported difficulties were broadly in accordance with the audiometric test results, but there also were individuals with conflicting results. It is concluded that the prevalence of hearing impairment in the three Nordic localities is fairly similar. To assess hearing disorders in elderly people, both audiometry and self-report data are needed.
authors.affiliation: The Finnish Centre for Interdisciplinary Gerontology, Department of Health Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland. annhiet@sport.jyu.fi
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hietanen
authors.forename: Pertti
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Era
authors.forename: Jorgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Henrichsen
authors.forename: Ulf
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Rosenhall
authors.forename: Martti
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sorri
authors.forename: Eino
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Heikkinen
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001301:Audiometry, Pure-Tone; D001309:Auditory Threshold / Q000502:physiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D006311:Hearing Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D017678:Sex Distribution; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology