Hearing loss and physical function in the general population: A cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVE: Hearing loss is a major public health concern. Higher physical function may be related to the maintenance of hearing acuity. Therefore, this study examined the association between hearing loss and physical function in the general population. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted with health checkup participants who underwent pure-tone audiometry at a regional health care center in Japan. Information for physical function included handgrip strength, vital capacity (VC), and forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV(1)). A hearing threshold of >30 dB at 1 kHz and/or >40 dB at 4 kHz in either ear was identified as hearing loss. The characteristics of the subjects were examined with stratification by sex and age group. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to examine the association between hearing loss and physical function with adjustments for age, body mass index and current smoking. RESULTS: Among the 4766 study subjects, 56.5% were male. The mean age was 47.7 years (SD: 13.8 years; range: 20–86 years), and the prevalence of hearing loss was 12.8% based on the definition stated above. For females, handgrip strength, VC, and FEV(1) showed significant negative associations with hearing loss (multivariable-adjusted OR [95% CI] = 0.691 [0.560–0.852], 0.542 [0.307–0.959], and 0.370 [0.183–0.747], respectively). These associations were not found in males. CONCLUSIONS: Higher physical function was associated with a lower prevalence of hearing loss among females. This study suggests that it is important to maintain physical function for hearing loss in females. Further studies are required to investigate sex differences in the relationship between physical function and hearing loss in the general population.