Effect of Attitudes Toward Hearing Loss and Hearing Aids on the Risk of Device Abandonment Among Older Adults With Hearing Loss Fitted in the Chilean Public Health Sector

作者：Eduardo Fuentes–López, Javier Galaz-Mella, Carrie L. Nieman, Manuel Luna-Monsalve, Anthony Marcotti · 发表于：Ear and Hearing · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1097/aud.0000000000001669 · 被引用次数：9 · 研究领域：Hearing Loss and Rehabilitation、Hearing, Cochlea, Tinnitus, Genetics、Hearing Impairment and Communication

OBJECTIVES: The World Health Organization estimates that 25% of older adults worldwide have disabling hearing loss. Although hearing aids are the conventional management strategy for this condition, the rate of abandonment of these devices is high. Complete abandonment of the device can expose individuals to the negative consequences of untreated hearing loss. Although previous studies have examined the effect of attitudes on hearing aid abandonment, they have not investigated the time over which abandonment occurs. Consequently, previous evidence has not explored whether attitudes toward hearing loss and hearing aids are associated with the speed (i.e., hazard) at which individuals abandon their hearing aids over time. Our primary objective was to determine the effect of attitudes toward hearing loss and hearing aids on both the risk and timing of hearing aid abandonment. A secondary objective was to assess the potential effect of attitudes toward hearing loss and hearing aids on changes in social participation and withdrawal from social activities. DESIGN: We conducted a retrospective cohort study involving 355 patients who received hearing aids from a Chilean public hospital. Device abandonment over time was assessed by asking the patients about the specific month of hearing aid abandonment. Attitudes toward hearing loss and hearing aids were measured using the Spanish version of the Attitudes towards Loss of Hearing Questionnaire (S-ALHQ), while changes in participation a...