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The Prevalence of Hearing Impairment and Reported Hearing Disability among Adults in Great Britain
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1989
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Hearing impairment and hearing disability are common among adults in Great Britain, with epidemiological studies estimating their prevalence. The study aimed to report age‑specific prevalence of self‑reported hearing disability and measured hearing impairment in Great Britain using two 2‑stage surveys. A two‑stage design was employed, comprising a main study with rigorous audiological assessment in Cardiff, Glasgow, Nottingham and Southampton, and a supplementary domiciliary assessment on a representative sample. The results showed that 16% of adults aged 17–80 have bilateral hearing impairment (≥25 dBHL), about one in four have unilateral or bilateral impairment, and roughly 10% report bilateral hearing difficulty in quiet environments, with no major bias from city selection or non‑response.
Davis A C (MRC Institute of Hearing Research, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK). The prevalence of hearing impairment and reported hearing disability in adults in Great Britain. International Journal of Epidemiology 1989, 18: 911–917. Estimates for the prevalence of self-reported hearing disability and measured hearing impairment as a function of age in the adult population of Great Britain (GB) are reported from two 2-stage surveys. The main study was conducted in Cardiff, Glasgow, Nottingham and Southampton, with rigorous audiological assessment at the second stage. A supplementary study used a sample representative of GB with simplified domiciliary audiological assessments. In the main study, neither stage showed any gross bias arising from the particular cities chosen; the estimates from the first stage are free of bias arising from non-response. The estimates from the second stage are relatively free of bias arising from non-attendance. For the present purposes, defining a 'significant' level of hearing impairment as at least 25 dBHL averaged over the frequencies 0.5, 1, 2, 4 kHz, 16% of the adult population (17–80 years) have a bilateral, and about one in four a unilateral or bilateral, hearing impairment. About 10% of the adult population (aged 17+) report bilateral hearing difficulty in a quiet environment.