Gender Difference in Hearing Health in the United States: A Spatiotemporal Analysis

Hearing loss is one of the leading causes of disability worldwide, affecting people's quality of life adversely and causing substantial economic costs in the United States. Existing studies pointed out that men are more prone to hearing loss than women. To explore the gender difference in hearing health and the mechanism behind it, this study performs a spatiotemporal analysis of hearing health at the county level in the United States. The results show that 132 of 3,103 counties with effective data have a higher female hearing loss rate than males, with more than 60% of them in rural areas. We also find that counties with similar levels of hearing loss rate have a tendency to cluster spatially. In addition, the correlation analysis shows that counties with higher hearing loss rates have lower infrastructure density. This study is the first to analyze the infrastructure-related hearing health imbalance between sexes, with a particular focus on female hearing health issues. We believe that this pioneering study will help bridge the healthcare gap by addressing hearing health disparities. Targeted public health interventions and infrastructure development, especially in rural areas, are essential to mitigate the adverse effects of hearing loss and improve overall health equity. Future research should focus on identifying specific infrastructure elements that contribute to hearing health disparities and develop gender-specific strategies to mitigate hearing loss.