Hearing, cognition, and physical function: leveraging large-scale epidemiologic studies toward intervention

Abstract Hearing loss and aging represent the intersection of two major public health challenges. Over 1.5 billion individuals or almost 20% of the global population have hearing loss, where the largest burden is among older adults secondary to age-related hearing loss. By 2030, the end of the UN Decade of Healthy Aging, almost 2 billion individuals are expected to be living with hearing loss. Evidence continues to grow related to the negative consequences of hearing loss in the context of aging, both on cognitive and physical function. This symposium will share the latest findings on hearing loss and its relationship to a range of negative consequences from diverse large-scale cohorts. Specifically, the session will cover hearing loss and its relationship to cognitive health, including subjective cognitive decline and neuropsychiatric symptoms among persons living with dementia, as well as physical health, including frailty and physical function. Each presentation draws upon datasets from a large-scale epidemiologic study with varying types of data on hearing status and measures of cognitive and physical health. The covered datasets include nationally representative cohorts, such as the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS), to longitudinal cohorts, such as the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study (ARIC). The session will serve as a primer on available datasets that include data on hearing status and hearing care, including strengths, limitations, and analysis considerations. This symposium will provide tangible ways to leverage existing data in order to move toward intervention and build capacity around hearing health within gerontology.