The Hearing-Dependent Daily Activities Scale to evaluate impact of hearing loss in older people.
OBJECTIVE
We wanted to design and validate the Hearing-Dependent Daily Activities (HDDA) Scale as a means of identifying the impact of hearing loss in older persons by measuring capacity to carry out hearing-dependent activities.


METHODS
We undertook a cross-sectional, observational study to validate a scale administered during a personal interview with 1,160 participants aged 65 years and older. When using the instrument to identify patients with hearing impairment, sensitivity and specificity were determined using an audiogram with Ventry and Weinstein criteria as the criterion standard. Standardized audiometries were performed blindly, without knowledge of results of the HDDA Scale.


RESULTS
According to the criterion standard, 506 participants had hearing impairment (43.6%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 40.8%-46.5%). The HDDA scale showed high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha =0.91). Regarding hearing impairment criteria, the HDDA scale obtained a sensitivity of 80.0% (95% CI, 76.3%-83.3%) and a specificity of 70.2% (95% CI, 66.5%-73.5%).


CONCLUSIONS
The HDDA scale constitutes a clinically useful instrument for identifying the impact of hearing loss on daily life in the elderly, a condition frequently overlooked during routine medical check-ups. This tool has acceptable psychometric properties and high internal consistency.
Hidalgo
Jesús López-Torres
JL
Family and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Albacete, Spain. jlopeztorresh@medynet.com
Gras
Clotilde Boix
CB
Lapeira
Juan Manuel Téllez
JM
Martínez
Ignacio Párraga
IP
Verdejo
Maria Angeles López
MA
Rabadán
Francisco Escobar
FE
Puime
Angel Otero
AO
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001299:Audiometry; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D034381:Hearing Loss / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019986:Persons with Hearing Disabilities / Q000523:psychology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D018434:Sickness Impact Profile
Am Fam Physician. 2000 Feb 15;61(4):1089-104
10706161
ASHA. 1983 Jul;25(7):37-42
6626295
Postgrad Med. 1998 Sep;104(3):81-3, 87-90
9742905
J Am Geriatr Soc. 1998 Apr;46(4):492-8
9560075
Hosp Pract (Off Ed). 1991 Feb 28;26(2A):79, 83-6
1899676
Aten Primaria. 2003 Dec;32 Suppl 2:102-20
15116476
Int J Epidemiol. 2001 Dec;30(6):1371-8
11821349
Braz J Otorhinolaryngol. 2005 Mar-Apr;71(2):193-200
16446917
Gerontology. 1999 Nov-Dec;45(6):323-8
10559650
J Fam Pract. 2003 Jan;52(1):56-62
12540314
Geriatrics. 1994 Aug;49(8):40-5; quiz 46-7
8039728
Br J Nurs. 2002 Aug 8-Sep 11;11(15):1021-5
12181509
Am J Audiol. 2001 Dec;10(2):99-103
11808726
Noise Health. 2000;2(6):67-78
12689480
Postgrad Med. 1995 Oct;98(4):197-200, 203, 206 passim
7567720
Ear Hear. 1982 May-Jun;3(3):128-34
7095321
Int J Audiol. 2002 Jun;41(4):221-30
12154812
J Speech Hear Disord. 1979 May;44(2):169-95
502485
J Am Geriatr Soc. 1990 Jan;38(1):45-50
2295767
Audiology. 1998 Sep-Oct;37(5):295-301
9776206
Ear Hear. 1986 Oct;7(5):295-9
3770324
Scand Audiol. 1991;20(2):109-16
1842275
JAMA. 1988 May 20;259(19):2875-8
3285039
ASHA. 1986 May;28(5):41-5
3718608
JAMA. 2003 Apr 16;289(15):1976-85
12697801
Am J Med Sci. 1994 Jan;307(1):40-2
8291505
Audiology. 1973 May-Jun;12(3):180-7
4681827
J Laryngol Otol. 2000 Sep;114(9):661-6
11091826
Ear Hear. 1988 Aug;9(4):208-11
3169401