Longitudinal Relationship Between Hearing Aid Use and Cognitive Function in Older Americans

Abstract

Objectives: To test whether hearing aid use alters cognitive trajectories in older adults. Design: US population-based longitudinal cohort study. Setting: Data were drawn from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), which measured cognitive performance repeatedly every 2 years over 18 years (1996–2014). Participants: Adults aged 50 and older who who took part in a minimum of 3 waves of the HRS and used hearing aids for the first time between Waves 4 and 11 (N=2,040). Measurements: Cognitive outcomes were based on episodic memory scores determined according to the sum of immediate and delayed recall of 10 words. Results: Hearing aid use was positively associated with episodic memory scores (β=1.53, p