Functional status and hearing impairments in women at midlife

Objectives. The aim of this study was to address the prevalence of clinical ly assessed high-frequency hearing impairment (HFHI) and self-reported hear ing impairment (SRHI) and examine the association of these hearing assessme nts with physical and mental functioning in African American and Caucasian women at midlife. Methods. The sample included 467 women who participated in the Michigan Fun ctioning Substudy of the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation. Outcome s examined were physical and mental functioning from the Medical Outcomes T rust SF-12 Health Survey. HFHI was defined as threshold averages of 25 dB o r greater over 4000, 6000, and 8000 Hertz. Results. Prevalence of unilateral HFHI was 26.6% (n = 68), and prevalence o f bilateral HFHI was 12.0% (n = 56). Prevalence of SRHI was 16.7% (n = 78), with minimal overlap between HFHI and SRHI (n = 36). In multiple variable logistic regression analyses, HFHI in one ear only was not associated with physical or mental functioning and bilateral HFHI was associated with limit ed mental functioning only. SRHI was associated with limited physical and m ental functioning. Discussion. Poor correlation of HFHI and SRHI in this population, combined with the significant association of SRHI with both measures of functioning, indicates that the two methods may be measuring different aspects of impai rment. SRHI may facilitate early identification of individuals with hearing -related functional limitations.