Usability of Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids in Older Adults.

IF 1.8 4区医学 Q3 AUDIOLOGY & SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY

American Journal of Audiology Pub Date : 2025-09-02 Epub Date: 2025-08-28 DOI:10.1044/2025_AJA-25-00013

Laura Coco, Tiana Weeks, Colten Mouzin, Chris Rodriguez, Eliana Marvizon, Rachel Wynsma, Ariana M Stickel

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to identify individual factors associated with older adults' ability to manage commercially available over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids (HAs).

Method: Participants completed an OTC HA skills assessment, scored on a 4-point Likert scale (3 = independent with no difficulty, 0 = unable to complete). Steps included downloading the application (app), inserting the HAs, and cleaning them with a brush. Scores were averaged to calculate an overall mean; higher scores indicated better OTC HA skills. Each independent variable was analyzed in separate linear regression models, and geometric mean ratios (GMRs) were calculated for significant factors. OTC HA skills were also examined dichotomously, with unsuccessful performance defined as any unresolved error.

Results: Eighty-two adults participated in the study, 66% (n = 54) of whom were new HA users. After adjusting for covariates, education remained a strong predictor of OTC HA skills: Individuals with less than a college degree demonstrated 45% lower performance compared to those with a master's degree or higher (GMR = 0.55, 95% confidence interval [0.34, 0.89]). Overall, 68% (n = 56) of participants were unsuccessful in completing the OTC HA assessment. The most challenging tasks across all participants were manually adjusting the volume, pairing the HAs with a smartphone, and replacing the wax guard. New HA users performed significantly worse than experienced users on the task of putting the HAs on, t(52) = -2.58, p = .013, with a moderate effect size (Cohen's d = -0.44).

Conclusions: Education emerged as a strong predictor of OTC HA skills, underscoring the need to address disparities in device usability. These findings highlight the importance of developing tailored devices and educational materials to support users with lower educational attainment. Such efforts may help promote more equitable access and prevent the exacerbation of existing hearing health disparities in the era of OTC HAs.

Supplemental material: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.29847827.

查看原文本刊更多论文

老年人非处方助听器的可用性。

目的：本研究旨在确定与老年人管理市售非处方（OTC）助听器（HAs）能力相关的个体因素。方法：参与者完成OTC HA技能评估，以4分李克特量表评分（3 =独立无难度，0 =无法完成）。步骤包括下载应用程序，插入ha，并用刷子清洁它们。将得分取平均值以计算总体平均值；分数越高，说明OTC HA技能越好。采用独立的线性回归模型对各自变量进行分析，并计算显著因子的几何平均比率（GMRs）。OTC HA技能也被一分为二地检查，不成功的性能被定义为任何未解决的错误。结果：82名成年人参与了这项研究，其中66% （n = 54）是新的HA用户。在调整协变量后，教育程度仍然是OTC HA技能的一个强有力的预测因素：与拥有硕士或更高学位的人相比，大学学历以下的人表现出45%的低绩效（GMR = 0.55, 95%置信区间[0.34,0.89]）。总体而言，68% （n = 56）的参与者未能完成OTC HA评估。所有参与者中最具挑战性的任务是手动调节音量，将HAs与智能手机配对，以及更换蜡护罩。新HA用户在安装HA的任务上的表现明显差于有经验的用户，t(52) = -2.58, p = 0.013，具有中等效应大小（Cohen's d = -0.44）。结论：教育程度是OTC HA技能的一个强有力的预测因素，强调了解决设备可用性差异的必要性。这些发现强调了开发量身定制的设备和教育材料以支持受教育程度较低的用户的重要性。这些努力可能有助于促进更公平的获取，并防止现有的听力健康差距在OTC HAs时代加剧。补充资料：https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.29847827。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

American Journal of Audiology AUDIOLOGY & SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY-OTORHINOLARYNGOLOGY

CiteScore

3.00

自引率

16.70%

发文量

163

审稿时长

>12 weeks

期刊介绍： Mission: AJA publishes peer-reviewed research and other scholarly articles pertaining to clinical audiology methods and issues, and serves as an outlet for discussion of related professional and educational issues and ideas. The journal is an international outlet for research on clinical research pertaining to screening, diagnosis, management and outcomes of hearing and balance disorders as well as the etiologies and characteristics of these disorders. The clinical orientation of the journal allows for the publication of reports on audiology as implemented nationally and internationally, including novel clinical procedures, approaches, and cases. AJA seeks to advance evidence-based practice by disseminating the results of new studies as well as providing a forum for critical reviews and meta-analyses of previously published work. Scope: The broad field of clinical audiology, including audiologic/aural rehabilitation; balance and balance disorders; cultural and linguistic diversity; detection, diagnosis, prevention, habilitation, rehabilitation, and monitoring of hearing loss; hearing aids, cochlear implants, and hearing-assistive technology; hearing disorders; lifespan perspectives on auditory function; speech perception; and tinnitus.