In Brief:
Cross-sectional data collected as part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were used to estimate associations between socio-economic factors, health care use, and health insurance provider and hearing aid use among adults age 70 years and older. Data on self-reported hearing aid use, pure-tone thresholds, self-perceived hearing ability, place for routine health care, time since last hearing test, type of health insurance, age, sex, race, and income-to-poverty ratio were analyzed in a sample of 601 potential hearing aid candidates. Only one third of the sample reported current use of hearing aids. Factors associated with hearing aid use included recent hearing test and higher income-to-poverty ratio.
