Abstract
BackgroundSelf report questions are often used in population studies to assess sensory efficacy and decline. These questions differ in their validity in assessing sensory impairment depending on the wording of the question and the characteristics of the population. We tested the validity of the self-report questions on hearing efficacy (self reported hearing, ability in following a conversation, use of a telephone and use of hearing aids) used in The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA).MethodsWe tested sensitivity and specificity, positive and negative predictive values of each question against the Whispered Voice Test, a relatively easy to administer and cost effective alternative to the standard audiometric test.ResultsIn this population the question ‘Is your hearing (with or without a hearing appliance)/ Excellent/Very Good/Good/Fair/Poor?’ showed the best diagnostic value in relation to the other questions (sensitivity 55.56% and specificity 94.67%). The question ‘Can you use a normal telephone?’ was deemed ineffective because of a very poor sensitivity (5.56%) and was proposed for exclusion from subsequent waves of TILDA.ConclusionsWe showed that this validity check was useful to select the questions that most effectively assess hearing deficits and provided crucial information for the subsequent waves. We argue that longitudinal studies using self-reports of sensory efficacy would benefit from a similar check.
Highlights
Self report questions are often used in population studies to assess sensory efficacy and decline
Sensitivity values relate to the percentage of respondents who reported to have poor hearing and failed the Whispered Voice Test were correctly identified as hearing impaired by the self report question
The specificity relates to the percentage of respondents who were correctly identified by the self report questions as not having a hearing impairment having passed the Whispered Voice Test
Summary
Self report questions are often used in population studies to assess sensory efficacy and decline. Other factors contribute to the determination of self reported hearing loss such as cognitive abilities, education and individual dispositions [19] This is captured by the variability in sensitivity and specificity levels found when comparing self rated hearing loss with objective measures between different studies. To better understand to what extent self reports of hearing loss reflect objective deficits, a direct comparison between tests is needed [22]. This is necessary because differences in population characteristics in terms of culture, education, cognitive status etc.
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