Self-reported hearing difficulties, main income sources, and socio-economic status; a cross-sectional population-based study in Sweden.

Pernilla Videhult Pierre,Anders Fridberger,Kristina Alexanderson,Anders Wikman

doi:10.1186/1471-2458-12-874

Pernilla Videhult Pierre, Anders Fridberger + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-12-874

Copy DOI

Abstract

BackgroundHearing difficulties constitute the most common cause of disability globally. Yet, studies on people with hearing difficulties regarding socio-economic status (SES), work, long-term unemployment, sickness absence, and disability pension are scarce. The aim of the present study was to investigate the main income sources of men and women of working ages with and without self-reported hearing difficulties and associations with gender, age, SES, type of living area, and country of birth.MethodsA cross-sectional population-based study, using information on self-reported hearing difficulties and SES of 19 045 subjects aged 20–64 years participating in Statistics Sweden’s annual Living Conditions Surveys in any of the years 2004 through 2008. The information was linked to a nationwide database containing data on demographics and income sources. Odds ratios (ORs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated, using binary logistic regression analysis.ResultsHearing difficulties increased with age and were more common in men (age-adjusted OR: 1.42 (95% CI: 1.30-1.56)) with an overall prevalence of 13.1% in men and 9.8% in women. Using working men as reference, the OR of having hearing difficulties was 1.23 (0.94-1.60) in men with unemployment benefits and 1.36 (1.13-1.65) in men with sickness benefits or disability pension, when adjusting for age and SES. The corresponding figures in women were 1.59 (1.17-2.16) and 1.73 (1.46-2.06). The OR of having sickness benefits or disability pension in subjects with hearing difficulties was 1.36 (1.12-1.64) in men and 1.70 (1.43-2.01) in women, when adjusting for age and SES and using men and women with no hearing difficulties as reference.ConclusionsHearing difficulties were more prevalent in men. After adjustment with age and SES as well as with type of living area and country of birth, a significant association with unemployment benefits was found only in women, and the associations with long-term sickness absence and disability pension tended to be stronger in women.

Highlights

Hearing difficulties constitute the most common cause of disability globally
Hearing difficulties were more common in men, but after adjustment with age and socio-economic status (SES) as well as with type of living area and country of birth, a significant association with long-term unemployment was found only in women, and the associations with long-term sickness absence and disability pension tended to be stronger in women
A person who uses sign language can access the service via computer, videophone, or 3G. This cross-sectional study suggests that men and women with hearing difficulties are more likely to be dependent on unemployment benefits, sickness benefits, or disability pension than their normal-hearing counterparts, after adjustment for age, SES, type of living area, and country of birth

Summary

Introduction

Hearing difficulties constitute the most common cause of disability globally. Yet, studies on people with hearing difficulties regarding socio-economic status (SES), work, long-term unemployment, sickness absence, and disability pension are scarce. Hearing difficulties are the most common cause of disability globally [1] Since they are highly age-related, their global impact on burden of disease is expected to grow due to the increasing life span [1]. Several methods are used for hearing assessment, the most common being pure tone audiometry (PTA) and self-reported hearing measures. PTA relies on patient response to pure tone stimuli and is the most frequent method of clinical hearing assessment. It measures earspecific hearing thresholds rather than other aspects of hearing, such as sound localization, and the auditory situation is not very similar to normal listening. Pure-tone thresholds in the speech frequency range are more closely related to self-reported hearing difficulties than is high-frequency PTA [22]. While some individulals with self-reported hearing difficulties show no PTA-assessed hearing threshold elevations, others without such self-reported difficulties show significant PTA-assessed hearing threshold elevations [23]

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion