QuickStats: Percentage* of Adults Aged ≥18 Years Who Have Difficulty Hearing Even When Using a Hearing Aid,† by Age Group — National Health Interview Survey, United States, 2020§
Weekly / March 25, 2022 / 71(12);475
* With 95% CIs indicated by error bars.
† Based on responses to the survey question, “Do you have difficulty hearing even when using a hearing aid? Would you say no difficulty, some difficulty, a lot of difficulty, or you cannot do this at all?”
§ Estimates are based on household interviews of a sample of the civilian, noninstitutionalized U.S. population.
In 2020, 12.3% of adults aged ≥18 years had some difficulty hearing even when using a hearing aid and 1.5% had a lot of difficulty or could not hear at all. The percentage of adults who had some difficulty hearing increased with age, from 6.0% among those aged 18–44 years, to 12.6% among those aged 45–64 years, and to 25.0% among those aged ≥65 years. The percentage of adults who had a lot of difficulty hearing or were unable to hear at all also increased with age, from 0.5% among those aged 18–44 years, to 1.6% among those aged 45–64 years, and to 3.7% among those aged ≥65 years.
Source: National Center for Health Statistics, National Health Interview Survey, 2020. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhis.htm
Reported by: Nazik Elgaddal, MS, nelgaddal@cdc.gov, 301-458-4538; Julie D. Weeks, PhD.
Suggested citation for this article: QuickStats: Percentage of Adults Aged ≥18 Years Who Have Difficulty Hearing Even When Using a Hearing Aid, by Age Group — National Health Interview Survey, United States, 2020. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2022;71:475. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7112a5external icon.
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