Self-reported hearing loss associated with frailty among Afro-Caribbeans
West Indian Medical Journal, cilt.68, sa.1, ss.29-34, 2019 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 68 Sayı: 1
- Basım Tarihi: 2019
- Doi Numarası: 10.7727/wimj.2016.174
- Dergi Adı: West Indian Medical Journal
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus
- Sayfa Sayıları: ss.29-34
- Anahtar Kelimeler: Afro-Caribbean, ethnicity, frailty, hearing loss
- Sağlık Bilimleri Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
Objective: Data on ethnic differences in the relationship between hearing loss and frailty are sparse. We investigated the relationship between self-reported hearing loss and frailty in four ethnic groups. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of a community-dwelling sample of African American, Afro-Caribbean, Hispanic, and European American individuals aged 60 years or older (n = 484). Participants had to be able to ambulate independently or with the help of a device, and had an age- and education-adjusted Mini-Mental State Examination score of > 23 to be enrolled. Self-reported hearing loss was measured by a single question: ‘Is your hearing excellent, very good, good, fair or poor?’. Answers of excellent, very good and good were considered as ‘no hearing loss’, and answers of fair and poor as ‘self-reported hearing loss’. Frailty was defined as reporting three or more of the following criteria: weight loss, weakness, exhaustion, slow walking speed, and low physical activity. Results: In unadjusted (odds ratio: 3.075; 95% confidence interval: 1.149, 8.233; p = 0.025) and adjusted (odds ratio: 7.509; 95% confidence interval: 1.797, 31.386; p = 0.006) models, self-reported hearing loss was associated with frailty in Afro-Caribbeans, but not in African Americans, Hispanics and European Americans. Out of the five frailty criteria, only exhaustion was significantly more common in the self-reported hearing loss group among Afro-Caribbeans. Conclusion: Self-reported hearing loss was associated with frailty among Afro-Caribbeans, and this association was largely due to the frailty criterion of exhaustion.