Skip to main content

ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Public Health
Sec. Aging and Public Health
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1364000

Association between the home-to-healthcare center distance and hearing aid abandonment among older adults

Provisionally accepted
Eduardo Fuentes-López Eduardo Fuentes-López 1*Javier Galaz-Mella Javier Galaz-Mella 1Anthony Marcotti Anthony Marcotti 2Salvador Ayala Salvador Ayala 3Carlos De La Fuente Carlos De La Fuente 4Manuel Luna-Monsalve Manuel Luna-Monsalve 2Carrie Nieman Carrie Nieman 5,6,7,8
  • 1 Carrera de Fonoaudiología, Departamento de Ciencias de la Salud, Facultad de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile., Santiago, Chile
  • 2 Escuela de Fonoaudiología, Facultad de Odontología y Ciencias de la Rehabilitación, Universidad San Sebastián, Santiago, Chile., Santiago, Chile
  • 3 Programa de Doctorado en Salud Publica, Universidad de Chile y Sección Gestión de la Información, Instituto de Salud Publica de Chile., Santiago, Chile
  • 4 Faculty of Rehabilitation Sciences, School of Physical Therapy, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences Institute, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago, Chile., Santiago, Chile
  • 5 Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, United States
  • 6 Cochlear Center for Hearing and Public Health, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, United States
  • 7 Department of Epidemiology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, United States
  • 8 Department of Health Policy and Management, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, United States

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: Access to audiology services for older adults residing in sparsely populated regions is often limited compared to those in central urban areas. The geographic accessibility to follow-up care, particularly the influence of distance, may contribute to an increased risk of hearing aid abandonment. Objective: To assess the association between the home-to-healthcare-calibrationcenter distance and hearing aid abandonment among older adults fitted in the Chilean public health system. Methods: 455 patients who received hearing aids from two public hospitals in two regions were considered. Univariate and multivariate Poisson regression models with robust variance estimation were used to analyze the association between the geographical distance and hearing aid abandonment, accounting for confounding effects.Results: Approximately 18% of the sample abandoned the hearing aid, and around 50% reported using the hearing aid every day. A twofold increase in distance between home and the hearing center yielded a 35% (RR=1.35; 95% CI: 1.04-1.74; p=0.022) increased risk of hearing aid abandonment. Also, those in the second quintile had a 2.17 times the risk of abandoning the hearing aid compared to the first quintile (up to 2.3 km). Under the assumption that patients reside within the first quintile of distance, a potential reduction of 45% in the incidence of hearing aid abandonment would be observed. The observed risk remained consistent across different statistical models to assess sensitivity. Conclusions: A higher distance between the residence and the healthcare center increases hearing aid abandonment risk. The association may be explained by barriers in purchasing supplies required to maintain the device (batteries, cleaning elements, potential repairs, or maintenance).

    Keywords: age-related hearing loss, Hearing Aids, geographic accessibility, Follow-up care, hearing aid abandonment

    Received: 31 Dec 2023; Accepted: 01 May 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Fuentes-López, Galaz-Mella, Marcotti, Ayala, De La Fuente, Luna-Monsalve and Nieman. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Eduardo Fuentes-López, Carrera de Fonoaudiología, Departamento de Ciencias de la Salud, Facultad de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile., Santiago, Chile

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.