Association between duration of hearing-aid use and frailty in community-dwelling older adults with hearing loss in Japan: a cross-sectional study

Frailty is prevalent among older adults with hearing loss. —a condition potentially triggering social isolation, communication difficulties, and reduced participation in physical and social activities, which in turn may accelerate the development of frailty. Hearing aids help mitigate these consequences by improving communication and social engagement. However, the relationship between duration of hearing-aid use and frailty is unclear. This study examined the above-mentioned relationship in older adults with hearing loss. A cross-sectional survey was conducted between June and August 2024 at 12 hearing- aid specialty stores in Ehime Prefecture, Japan. The participants were aged ≥ 65 years and reported hearing loss, defined as a PTA of ≥ 25 dB. Multivariate logistic regression was used to examine the association between duration of hearing-aid use (< 8, ≥ 8 to < 12, and ≥ 12 h per day) and frailty, which was treated as a binary variable (1 = frail [FSI score ≥ 3], 0 = non-frail [FSI score 0–2]), adjusting for age, sex, household, education level, economic status, employment, aided ear, history of ear disease, hearing-aid use method and frequency, period of hearing-aid use, PTA, and fitting evaluation based on sound-field thresholds. A total of332 participants (female: 56.3%; mean age [standard deviation]: 81.30[6.93]) were categorized into three groups based on duration of hearing-aid use: <8 h (n = 94), ≥ 8 h to < 12 h (n = 80), and ≥ 12 h (n = 158). Compared to those using hearing aids for ≥ 8 h to < 12 h, those in the < 8 h group had significantly higher odds of frailty (odds ratio: 3.32; 95% confidence interval: 1.09–12.17; p = .048). Shorter daily hearing-aid use (< 8 h) was associated with greater frailty among older adults with hearing loss. Given this study’s cross-sectional design, causal inferences cannot be made. Longitudinal studies are warranted to determine whether appropriate hearing- aid use can help prevent frailty in this population.