Prevalence of self-reported hearing loss and attributed causes: A population-based study

Abstract

The objective was to determine the prevalence of self-reported hearing loss in four urban ar-eas in São Paulo State, Brazil, and to describe the causes and socio-demographic variables. This was a population-based cross-sectional study with data on individuals 12 years or older living in the areas in 2001 and 2002. Participation included 5,250 subjects selected by two-stage probability sampling, stratified in clusters. Data analysis was exploratory, in-cluding bivariate and multiple logistic regres-sion analysis. Prevalence of hearing loss was 5.21%, and higher levels were associated with: age > 59 years (18.7%), illness in the 15 days prior to the interview (8.4%), common mental disorders (8.8%), and use of medication in the previous 3 days (8.4%). The study of factors as-sociated with hearing loss can lead to health interventions for addressing that the popula-tion's real needs, mostly in primary care. More population-based studies on hearing are need-ed in Brazil, since there are few publications on the subject.