Abstract
IMPORTANCE: Most estimates of hearing loss prevalence and hearing aid use among US adults 65 years and older are based on samples with limited Hispanic representation. Accurate and representative data are essential to guide public health efforts and improve hearing care access in this underserved group. OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of hearing loss and hearing aid use by age in a nationally representative sample that purposefully oversampled Hispanic adults 65 years and older. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Using data from the 2022 National Study of Aging and Health Trends, the prevalence estimates of hearing loss and hearing ais use by age and sex among participants who identify as Hispanic were calculated. Survey weights were applied to generate nationally representative estimates for the Hispanic US older adult population. Data for this study were collected in 2022 and analyzed between March and April 2025. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Standard audiometric measures of hearing loss over a wide frequency range (0.25 to 8 KHz) and self-reported hearing aid use. RESULTS: This nationally representative sample included 591 participants, corresponding to a weighted estimate of 5.17 million Hispanic individuals 65 years and older. Among them, 50.2% (95% CI, 44.1%-56.2%) were female individuals, 45.6.% (95% CI, 39.6%-51.7%) were aged 65 to 69, 14.4% (95% CI, 39.6%-51.7%) were 75 to 79, and 3.2% (95% CI, 2.5%-4.1%) were aged 85 years or older. In weighted analyses, 54.6% (95% CI, 49.2%-59.9%) of approximately 2.8 million individuals had hearing loss in the better ear (>25 dB HL). This included mild hearing loss in 38.4% (95% CI, 32.6%-44.6%), moderate in 12.8% (95% CI, 10.0%-16.2%), and severe in 3.4% (95% CI, 2.1%-5.6%). The overall prevalence of hearing loss was higher in male individuals than in female individuals: 48.5% vs 60.8%, respectively. Hearing thresholds increased with age and frequency, from 21.8 and 29.0 dB HL (in participants aged 65-69 years and those aged ≥85 years at 0.25 and 8.0 kHz, respectively) to 55.2 and 79.3 dB HL (in participants aged 65-69 years and those aged ≥85 years at 0.25 and 8.0 kHz, respectively) in the right ear. The results were similar for the left ear. Hearing aid use was 8.3% of those with hearing loss. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: This cross-sectional study found that more than half of Hispanic adults 65 years or older living in the US experience hearing loss, highlighting the need for targeted hearing health policies.