Despite prevalent hearing loss being a big issue in today’s world, significant stigma remains surrounding the adoption of hearing aids. As a result, the global uptake of hearing devices is affected. And, ultimately, this is having a negative impact on people’s overall quality of life.
So, what can be done to reduce hearing aid stigma and increase hearing aid adoption? Researchers from Stanford published a review of the literature surrounding hearing aid stigma, entitled “Toward Alleviating the Stigma of Hearing Aids”. This research aims to answer questions related to the stigmas around hearing aids.
Here, we provide you with an overview of this review, looking at the research context, key findings, and future objectives for hearing aid stigma research and education.
A hearing loss epidemic
Human hearing is a special capability, allowing us to perceive and distinguish subtle differences in sound, tone, and pitch. Despite this incredibly complex functionality, we often take our hearing for granted. Until it worsens, that is.
Hearing loss is a significant epidemic in our time. According to the World Health Organization, a staggering 1.5 billion people experience some form of hearing loss. In 2019 in the United States, a study found that approximately 30% of people aged 50 to 59 years suffer from hearing loss, which increases to over 70% for 70- to 79-year-olds and exceeds 85% for people over 80 years old.
There are also comorbidities related to hearing loss. Cognitive decline, social withdrawal, and increases in sedentary behavior have all been linked to hearing loss. These comorbidities result in significant mental and physical health problems, which come at a public cost—an enormous 1 trillion international dollars a year, according to the World Health Organization.
Addressing the hearing aid stigma: a review of the literature
Addressing the mental, physical, and economic issues surrounding hearing loss isn’t the only difficulty, however. There’s also the prevalence of hearing aid stigma to contend with.
“Toward Alleviating the Stigma of Hearing Aids” investigates this issue by providing a review of the existing literature, looking at the social, psychological, and technological dimensions of hearing aid stigma and non-adoption, and delving into the causes and potential solutions.
How significant is the stigma?
Analyzing a multitude of papers spanning two decades, the review finds significant stigma around hearing aids. One study highlighted in the review found that 46% of hearing-impaired people do not adopt hearing aids, while 48% believe that hearing aids are stigmatized.
These numbers are clear cause for concern. But how do we explain such negative figures?
What causes the stigma?
In summary, the review found that the root causes of hearing aid stigma are systemic and societal ageism and ableism.
In one study reviewed, participants were shown various pictures of people wearing hearing aids and people without. When asked if they believed that the hearing-impaired people seemed disabled or “required additional assistance”, over 40% of people responded affirmatively to such a description. This points to a wide-spread underlying prejudice against those with visible impairments.
However, the study did note ‘diminishing stigma’ among younger generations. They suggest this may be linked to the prevalence of earbuds and stylistic future designs for hearing aids.
How can the stigma be alleviated?
Indeed, this focus on design and functionality could be the key to overcoming hearing aid stigma, with the visual elements of hearing aids playing a big role in adoption.
The review makes a point of distinguishing hearing aid stigma into two categories: observed and perceived. Observed stigma is affected by design, while perceived stigma is impacted by functionality.
To alleviate observed stigma, the consensus among the studies reviewed is that industries should focus more on the design of hearing aids. Industrial design and color pallets could reduce stigma by incorporating a stylistic and contemporary aesthetic to hearing aids. For example, consumer electronic earphones, such as Apple AirPods, have no social stigma surrounding them, and are worn by millions of people worldwide. Hearing aids may benefit from a similar marketing approach when it comes to stylization.
Individualism and customization are two other factors that need to be considered. In the 1970s, eyeglasses benefited from a revolution in customizable design. As there is now for glasses, there needs to be a greater range of customizable and unique hearing aid designs to reduce observed stigma.
To alleviate perceived stigma, hearing aids must become multifunctional devices, rather than just sound amplifiers. The integration of fall detection and fitness tracking sensors, language translation capabilities, and virtual assistants should be equally considered alongside the primary purpose of hearing restoration. Additionally, the implementation of deep neural network (DNN) algorithms was found to be able to reliably improve speech intelligibility. Incorporating all these elements on an industry-scale level may reduce perceived hearing aid stigma going forward.
Conclusions of the review
As discussed, improvements in design and functionality have the scope to significantly reduce the stigma associated with hearing aids and their adoption. However, for the rest of the population, there’s more to be done too.
Awareness and education are conducive to a successful shift in attitudes toward hearing impairment and hearing aids. Public health organizations and the hearing aid ecosystem need to work together to produce broad and effective campaigns targeting the general population. Such campaigns should aim to highlight the benefits of hearing aids, rather than simply drawing attention to the prevalence of hearing loss.
Ultimately, the purpose behind reducing hearing aid stigma is to improve quality of life for millions around the world. Only by focusing on the development of design, technological integration, and education can a sounder world be achieved.
From Preprints.org to publication
This preprint has now been formally published in the peer-reviewed journal Audiology Research, validating the findings through expert evaluation. Publishing a preprint allows the rapid dissemination of findings to a broad audience, encouraging early feedback and fostering scientific collaboration before formal peer review is complete.
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