ArticleBMC geriatrics2020
Regional patterns and trends of hearing loss in England: evidence from the English longitudinal study of ageing (ELSA) and implications for health policy.
Article in BMC geriatrics, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers.
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Who cites it
16 citing papers in PubMed.
- Review
- Situational analysis of health systems for ear and hearing care in the World Health Organization (WHO) Eastern Mediterranean Region: A systematic review and evidence synthesis to inform national policies and strategies.SSM - health systems · 2026Article
- Hearing screening for healthy aging: the U.K. should take a targeted approach.The Gerontologist · 2026Article
- The role of socio-economic and lifestyle factors in hearing function in middle-aged adults.PloS one · 2026Article
- Spatiotemporal trend of sensory impairments in China and its provinces from 2011 to 2018: insights from CHARLS.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Assessing hearing health inequalities using routine health information systems.Journal of public health policy · 2025Article
- Improved Speech Recognition in Adults With Conductive or Mixed Hearing Loss Using a Direct-to-Consumer Bone-Conduction Device: A Multiple Methods Intervention Study.JMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologies · 2025Article
- Associations of cumulative hearing and vision loss with depression among U.S. adults aged 50 and older: results from the health and retirement study.BMC psychiatry · 2025Article
- Change on the Revised Hearing Handicap Inventory and associated factors: results from a longitudinal cohort study.International journal of audiology · 2025Article
- Can Hearing Aids Improve Physical Activity in Adults with Hearing Loss? A Feasibility Study.Audiology research · 2025Article
- Article
- Creating a health informatics data resource for hearing health research.BMC medical informatics and decision making · 2024Article
- Article
- Experience of conductive hearing loss and impacts of hearing aid use throughout life.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciences · 2024Article
- The dynamic relationship between hearing loss, quality of life, socioeconomic position and depression and the impact of hearing aids: answers from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA).Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology · 2022Article
- Conceptual Model of Hearing Health Inequalities (HHI Model): A Critical Interpretive Synthesis.Trends in hearingArticle
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4 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundHearing loss (HL) is a significant public health concern globally and is estimated to affect over nine million people in England. The aim of this research was to explore the regional patterns and trends of HL in a representative longitudinal prospective cohort study of the English population aged 50 and over.
methodsWe used the full dataset (74,699 person-years) of self-reported hearing data from all eight Waves of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) (2002-2017). We examined the geographical identifiers of the participants at the Government Office Region (GOR) level and the geographically based Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD). The primary outcome measure was self-reported HL; it consisted of a merged category of people who rated their hearing as fair or poor on a five-point Likert scale (excellent, very good, good, fair or poor) or responded positively when asked whether they find it difficult to follow a conversation if there is background noise (e.g. noise from a TV, a radio or children playing).
resultsA marked elevation in HL prevalence (10.2%) independent of the age of the participants was observed in England in 2002-2017. The mean HL prevalence increased from 38.50 (95%CI 37.37-39.14) in Wave 1 to 48.66 (95%CI 47.11-49.54) in Wave 8. We identified three critical patterns of findings concerning regional trends: the highest HL prevalence among samples with equal means of age was observed in GORs with the highest prevalence of participants in the most deprived (IMD) quintile, in routine or manual occupations and misusing alcohol. The adjusted HL predictions at the means (APMs) showed marked regional variability and hearing health inequalities between Northern and Southern England that were previously unknown.
conclusionsA sociospatial approach is crucial for planning sustainable models of hearing care based on actual needs and reducing hearing health inequalities. The Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) currently responsible for the NHS audiology services in England should not consider HL an inevitable accompaniment of older age; instead, they should incorporate socio-economic factors and modifiable lifestyle behaviours for HL within their spatial patterning in England.
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