Table 3. Participants’ Self-reported and Objectively Measured HL in the Better-Hearing Ear .
| Variable | No. (%) of participants (n = 8529) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Self-reported measurement | Objective measurement | |||||
| Self-reported hearing difficulty (n = 2249) | Moderate self-reported hearing difficulty (n = 1565) | Moderately severe or severe self-reported hearing difficulty (n = 684) | HL >35 dB HL at 3.0 kHz (n = 2266) | Moderate HL (n = 1498)a | Moderately severe or severe HL (n = 768)b | |
| Sex | ||||||
| Male | 1243 (55.3) | 832 (53.2) | 411 (60.1) | 1198 (52.9) | 741 (49.5) | 457 (59.5) |
| Female | 1006 (44.7) | 733 (46.8) | 273 (39.9) | 1068 (47.1) | 757 (50.5) | 311 (40.5) |
| Age group, y | ||||||
| 50-64 | 624 (28.9) | 456 (30.2) | 168 (26.0) | 349 (16.2) | 280 (19.3) | 69 (9.8) |
| 65-74 | 739 (34.2) | 545 (36.0) | 194 (30.0) | 722 (33.6) | 535 (36.9) | 187 (26.7) |
| 75-89 | 796 (36.9) | 511 (33.8) | 285 (44.0) | 1081 (50.2) | 636 (43.8) | 445 (63.5) |
| Missing | 90 (4.0) | 53 (3.3) | 37 (5.4) | 114 (5.0) | 47 (3.1) | 67 (8.7) |
| Currently married | ||||||
| No | 814 (36.2) | 562 (35.9) | 252 (36.8) | 826 (38.4) | 544 (37.5) | 282 (40.2) |
| Yes | 1435 (63.8) | (1003 (64.1) | 432 (63.2) | 1326 (61.6) | 907 (62.5) | 419 (59.8) |
| Missing | 0 | 0 | 0 | 114 (5.0) | 47 (3.1) | 67 (8.7) |
| Retirement status | ||||||
| Retired | 1563 (69.5) | 1076 (68.8) | 487 (71.2) | 1685 (78.3) | 1112 (76.6) | 573 (81.7) |
| Not retired | 686 (30.5) | 489 (31.2) | 197 (28.8) | 467 (21.7) | 339 (23.4) | 128 (18.3) |
| Missing | 0 | 0 | 0 | 114 (5.0) | 47 (3.1) | 67 (8.7) |
| Educational level | ||||||
| Degree or higher education | 646 (29.5) | 471 (31.0) | 175 (26.2) | 562 (26.5) | 404 (28.2) | 158 (22.9) |
| A level | 180 (8.2) | 127 (8.3) | 53 (7.9) | 137 (6.5) | 100 (6.9) | 37 (5.4) |
| O level CSE | 476 (21.7) | 350 (23.0) | 126 (18.9) | 473 (22.3) | 321 (22.4) | 152 (22.0) |
| Foreign or other | 256 (11.7) | 182 (12.0) | 74 (11.1) | 252 (11.9) | 171 (11.9) | 81 (11.7) |
| No qualifications | 632 (28.9) | 392 (25.8) | 240 (35.9) | 701 (33.0) | 439 (30.6) | 262 (38.0) |
| Missing | 59 (2.6) | 43 (2.7) | 16 (2.3) | 141 (6.2) | 63 (4.2) | 78 (10.1) |
| Occupation-based National Statistics Socioeconomic Classification | 484 (24.8) | 353 (26.0) | 131 (22.0) | 423 (21.5) | 285 | 138 (21.2) |
| Managerial and professional occupations | 684 (35.0) | 495 (36.5) | 189 (31.7) | 665 (33.8) | 477 | 188 (28.9) |
| Intermediate occupations (nonmanual) | 784 (40.2) | 508 (37.5) | 276 (46.3) | 881 (44.7) | 556 | 325 (49.9) |
| Routine and manual occupations | 297 (13.2) | 209 (13.3) | 88 (12.8) | 297 (13.1) | 180 (12.0) | 117 (15.2) |
| Net household income | ||||||
| Fifth quintile (highest) | 284 (14.3) | 217 (15.7) | 67 (11.2) | 243 (12.3) | 178 (13.4) | 65 (10.1) |
| Fourth quintile | 391 (19.7) | 291 (21.0) | 100 (16.7) | 367 (18.6) | 265 (19.9) | 102 (15.9) |
| Third quintile | 461 (23.2) | 297 (21.4) | 164 (27.3) | 453 (23.0) | 297 (22.3) | 156 (24.3) |
| Second quintile | 460 (23.2) | 312 (22.5) | 148 (24.7) | 489 (24.8) | 329 (24.7) | 160 (24.9) |
| First quintile (lowest) | 389 (19.6) | 268 (19.4) | 121 (20.2) | 421 (21.3) | 262 (19.7) | 159 (24.8) |
| Missing | 264 (11.7) | 180 (11.5) | 84 (12.2) | 293 (12.9) | 167 (11.1) | 126 (16.4) |
| Net financial wealth | ||||||
| Fifth quintile (highest) | 386 (19.5) | 280 (20.2) | 106 (17.7) | 342 (17.3) | 243 (18.3) | 99 (15.4) |
| Fourth quintile | 391 (19.7) | 283 (20.4) | 108 (18.0) | 400 (20.3) | 284 (21.3) | 116 (18.1) |
| Third quintile | 457 (23.0) | 331 (24.0) | 126 (21.0) | 466 (23.6) | 311 (23.4) | 155 (24.1) |
| Second quintile | 443 (22.3) | 301 (21.7) | 142 (23.7) | 475 (24.1) | 294 (22.1) | 181 (28.2) |
| First quintile (lowest) | 308 (15.5) | 190 (13.7) | 118 (19.6) | 290 (14.7) | 199 (14.9) | 91 (14.2) |
| Missing | 264 (11.7) | 180 (11.5) | 84 (12.2) | 293 (12.9) | 167 (11.1) | 126 (16.4) |
Abbreviations: CSE, Certificate of Secondary Education; HL, hearing loss.
a
Moderate HL: tones heard at 75 dB HL and 55 dB HL but not at 35 dB HL (the first 2 of the 3 tones at 3.0 kHz heard).
b
Moderately severe or severe HL: tone heard or not at 75 dB HL and tones not heard at 55 dB HL and 35 dB HL (0 or 1 of the 3 tones at 3.0 kHz heard).