Less fatigue and more social activity when using hearing aids
The study found that hearing-aid fitting led to a significant reduction in listening-related fatigue, social activity levels increased, and social participation restriction decreased significantly among people with hearing loss who stated using hearing aids compared to the control group that did not start use hearing aids.
The two groups of participants
The 106 participants in the study were between 18 and 75-years-old. For inclusion in the group of new hearing aid users, participants had to have self-reported hearing difficulties, be receiving their first-ever hearing aids and not be attending the audiology clinic with a primary complaint of tinnitus or vestibular issues. This group was recruited from the Glasgow Royal Infirmary audiology department. The control group in the study had to have self-reported hearing difficulties and not start using hearing aids.
All participants who started using hearing aids completed a battery of self-report outcome measures four times: once before fitting and at 2 weeks, 3 months and 6 months post fitting.
The study, "Hearing Aids Reduce Daily-Life Fatigue and Increase Social Activity: A Longitudinal Study", was published in the journal Trends in Hearing
Sources: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ and the journal Trends in Hearing