Hearing difficulties and feelings of social isolation among Canadians aged 45 or older.

BACKGROUND: Social isolation is associated with reduced health-related quality of life, increased morbidity, and mortality. Social isolation can be a concern for older Canadians, especially those with conditions that interfere with making and maintaining social connections. DATA AND METHODS: The 2008/2009 Canadian Community Health Survey-Healthy Aging (CCHS-HA) collected data from a population-based sample of Canadians aged 45 or older living in private households. Frequencies, cross-tabulations and logistic regression were used to examine the prevalence of hearing difficulties and social isolation, and associations between them when controlling for sociodemographic characteristics, other functional limitations (for example, vision, mobility, and cognition), incontinence, and fear of falling.
RESULTS: Social isolation was more common among 45- to 59-year-olds than among people aged 60 or older. Women were more likely than men to be socially isolated (16% versus 12%), but they were less likely to report hearing difficulties (5% versus 7%). Hearing difficulties were more prevalent at older ages: 25% of men and 18% of women at age 75 or older. When sociodemographic factors (age, education, living arrangements, regular driver, workforce participation), incontinence, fear of falling, and functional limitations were taken into account, the odds of being socially isolated increased with the severity of the hearing impairment among women but not among men (OR: 1.04, 95% CI: 1.00, 1.09).
INTERPRETATION: Hearing difficulties are associated with age, and therefore, a growing public health concern as Canada's population ages. For women, hearing difficulties were found to be associated with social isolation.