title: Hearing loss and risk of early retirement. The HUNT study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  We explore the possible consequences of measured hearing impairment (HI) and perceived hearing difficulties for early retirement in a large population-based study. Furthermore, we study whether having a part-time position was associated with measured HI and perceived hearing difficulties in the same population.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study included 25,740 persons from the Nord-Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT) aged 20-54 years at baseline in HUNT1 (1984-1986) who also participated in the follow up, HUNT2, including a hearing examination 11 years later. Logistic regression analysis was conducted for men and women separately and in two age strata. Effects of low-, middle- and high-frequency hearing levels were explored, adjusting for each other. Further adjustment was made for socio-economic class and general health in HUNT1.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The risk of early retirement increased with degree of loss of low-frequency hearing in young and middle-aged men and middle-aged women. The middle-aged men and women experiencing hearing disability had an increased risk of early retirement. Degree of hearing level was not associated with part-time work, but in middle-aged men, awareness of having a hearing loss was associated with part-time employment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Degree of low-frequency hearing loss was associated with early retirement but not with part-time work. Perceived hearing disability increased the risk of early retirement in middle-aged men and women and also the risk of part-time work in middle-aged men.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health and General Practice, Faculty of Medicine, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway. Anne-Sofie.Helvik@ntnu.no
authors.forename: Anne-Sofie
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Helvik
authors.forename: Steinar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Krokstad
authors.forename: Kristian
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tambs
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001309:Auditory Threshold / Q000502:physiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004651:Employment; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D034381:Hearing Loss / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D018868:Insurance, Disability / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010415:Pensions / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012179:Retirement / Q000639:trends*; D055815:Young Adult