title: Epidemiological associations of hearing impairment and health among a national cohort of 87 134 adults in Thailand.
abstract: Studies on socioeconomic and epidemiological effects of hearing impairment in middle-income countries of Southeast Asia are still quite scarce. This study examines the association between hearing impairment and health outcomes in Thailand. Data derived from a cohort of 87 134 Open University adults aged 15 to 87 years residing throughout Thailand. Approximately 8.5% of cohort members reported trouble hearing and 0.13% reported being deaf. After adjusting for age and gender, poor self-assessed health was strongly associated with some trouble hearing (odds ratio [OR] = 2.70, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.48-2.93) and deafness (OR = 3.08, 95% CI = 1.73-5.50). Population attributable fractions for hearing impairment were 12.9% for poor self-assessed health, 9.8% for poor psychological health, 3.3% for metabolic disorders, and 4.1% for cardiovascular conditions. More attention needs to be paid on hearing impairment with regular check-ups and early detections.
authors.affiliation: The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia. vasoontara.yieng@anu.edu.au
authors.forename: Vasoontara
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Yiengprugsawan
authors.forename: Anthony
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hogan
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Harley
authors.forename: Sam-ang
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Seubsman
authors.forename: Adrian C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Sleigh
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D034381:Hearing Loss / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013785:Thailand / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult