Developing Health Promotion Strategies to Enhance Clinical Practice Considering Risk Factors for Age

Health care professionals including physicians, nurses, and audiologists are charged with providing comprehensive geriatric care for millions of aging adults. As baby boomers mature, prevalence of age-related hearing loss (ARHL) among adults aged 45+ years has risen from 30% to 50%. New findings have emerged regarding risk factors affecting ARHL prevalence. Many aging adults have medical comorbidities, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and hypertension, which substantially increase the risk for ARHL. Recent studies highlighted links between cognitive skills, psychological health, and lifestyle choices like exercise and smoking that also relate to hearing loss. Thus, both intrinsic and extrinsic factors influence risk for ARHL. However, many practitioners are unaware of the relationship between such risk factors and ARHL. Therefore, this tutorial article highlights key research findings and summarizes current knowledge for clinical application. Specific audiologic and interdisciplinary strategies for clinical intervention are recommended within a framework of developing community-specific hearing health promotion programs