title: Hearing-aid use and long-term health outcomes: Hearing handicap, mental health, social engagement, cognitive function, physical health, and mortality.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To clarify the impact of hearing aids on mental health, social engagement, cognitive function, and physical health outcomes in older adults with hearing impairment.
  
  
  METHODS
  We assessed hearing handicap (hearing handicap inventory for the elderly; HHIE-S), cognition (mini mental state exam, trail making, auditory verbal learning, digit-symbol substitution, verbal fluency, incidence of cognitive impairment), physical health (SF-12 physical component, basic and instrumental activities of daily living, mortality), social engagement (hours per week spent in solitary activities), and mental health (SF-12 mental component) at baseline, five years prior to baseline, and five and 11 years after baseline.
  
  
  METHODS
  Community-dwelling older adults with hearing impairment (N = 666) from the epidemiology of hearing loss study cohort.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were no significant differences between hearing-aid users and non-users in cognitive, social engagement, or mental health outcomes at any time point. Aided HHIE-S was significantly better than unaided HHIE-S. At 11 years hearing-aid users had significantly better SF-12 physical health scores (46.2 versus 41.2; p = 0.03). There was no difference in incidence of cognitive impairment or mortality.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There was no evidence that hearing aids promote cognitive function, mental health, or social engagement. Hearing aids may reduce hearing handicap and promote better physical health.
authors.affiliation: a * School of Psychological Sciences, University of Manchester , UK.
authors.forename: Piers
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dawes
authors.affiliation: b Population Health Sciences School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin , Madison , USA.|c Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin , Madison , USA.
authors.forename: Karen J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Cruickshanks
authors.affiliation: c Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin , Madison , USA.
authors.forename: Mary E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Fischer
authors.affiliation: c Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin , Madison , USA.
authors.forename: Barbara E K
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Klein
authors.affiliation: c Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin , Madison , USA.
authors.forename: Ronald
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Klein
authors.affiliation: c Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin , Madison , USA.
authors.forename: David M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Nondahl
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003071:Cognition; D015331:Cohort Studies; D006310:Hearing Aids / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D034381:Hearing Loss / Q000401:mortality / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008603:Mental Health; D008875:Middle Aged; D019986:Persons with Hearing Disabilities / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D014922:Wisconsin / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: Hearing aids; activities of daily living; cognitive function; hearing impairment; mental health; social engagement