AJM onlineClinical research studyBody Mass Index, Waist Circumference, Physical Activity, and Risk of Hearing Loss in Women
Section snippets
Study Participants
The Nurses' Health Study II is comprised of 116,430 female registered nurses aged 25-42 years from 14 states who answered a mailed questionnaire in 1989. Questionnaires were administered every other year and the average follow-up rate over 22 years exceeds 90%. The questionnaires elicited information on anthropometric measures, lifestyle factors, medication use, and medical conditions. Detailed information on diet was obtained every 4 years. The 2009 questionnaire asked participants whether
Results
Characteristics of participants at baseline are summarized in Table 1. The mean age was 34.5 years, the median BMI was 22.6 kg/m2 (interquartile range [IQR] 20.7-25.6), the median waist circumference in 1993 was 73.7 cm (IQR 68.6-83.8), and the median level of physical activity was 13.9 METs/week (IQR 5.4-30.2). Walking for exercise 1 h/week or more was reported by 58% of the women. Participants who answered the 2009 main questionnaire, on which hearing loss was first assessed, did not differ
Discussion
In this large prospective study of women, higher BMI and larger waist circumference were associated independently with an increased risk of hearing loss. The risk decreased with increasing level of physical activity; even walking 2 hours or more per week was associated with a lower risk. These findings may provide insight into potential mechanisms that underlie acquired hearing loss and suggest possible strategies for prevention.
This prospective study confirms previous cross-sectional findings
Conclusion
Higher body mass index and larger waist circumference are associated with an increased risk, and higher level of physical activity is associated with a decreased risk of hearing loss in women.
References (64)
- et al.
Smoking and drinking habits as risk factors for hearing loss in the elderly: epidemiological study of subjects undergoing routine health checks in Aichi, Japan
Public Health
(2001) - et al.
Age-related hearing loss, vitamin B-12, and folate in elderly women
Am J Clin Nutr
(1999) - et al.
Free radical scavengers vitamins A, C, and E plus magnesium reduce noise trauma
Free Radic Biol Med
(2007) - et al.
Body mass index, waist circumference, and risk of coronary heart disease: a prospective study among men and women
Obes Res Clin Pract
(2010) - et al.
Noise-induced hearing loss in chinchillas pre-treated with glutathione monoethylester and R-PIA
Hear Res
(2003) - et al.
Obesity and hypercholesterolemia are associated with NOX2 generated oxidative stress and arterial dysfunction
J Pediatr
(2012) - et al.
Education, occupation, noise exposure history and the 10-yr cumulative incidence of hearing impairment in older adults
Hear Res
(2010) - et al.
Prevalence of hearing loss and differences by demographic characteristics among US adults: data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1999-2004
Arch Intern Med
(2008) - et al.
Quality of life determinants and hearing function in an elderly population: Osservatorio Geriatrico Campano Study Group
Gerontology
(1999) - et al.
Association between hearing impairment and the quality of life of elderly individuals
J Am Geriatr Soc
(1990)
The association between cardiovascular disease and cochlear function in older adults
J Speech Lang Hear Res
The prevalence of hearing impairment and associated risk factors: the Beaver Dam Offspring Study
Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg
The relation of hearing in the elderly to the presence of cardiovascular disease and cardiovascular risk factors
Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg
Cognitive, health, and sociodemographic predictors of longitudinal decline in hearing acuity among older adults
J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci
Race and sex differences in age-related hearing loss: the Health, Aging and Body Composition Study
J Am Geriatr Soc
Diabetes and hearing impairment in the United States: audiometric evidence from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1999 to 2004
Ann Intern Med
The effect of diabetes on sensorineural hearing loss
Otol Neurotol
Risk factors related to age-associated hearing loss in the speech frequencies
J Am Acad Audiol
Early sensorineural hearing loss in ob/ob mouse, an animal model of type 2 diabetes
Clin Exp Otorhinolaryngol
Hearing sensitivity in older adults: associations with cardiovascular risk factors in the health, aging and body composition study
J Am Geriatr Soc
Occupational noise, smoking, and a high body mass index are risk factors for age-related hearing impairment and moderate alcohol consumption is protective: a European population-based multicenter study
J Assoc Res Otolaryngol
Association of central obesity with the severity and audiometric configurations of age-related hearing impairment
Obesity (Silver Spring)
Association between cardiovascular health and hearing function: pure-tone and distortion product otoacoustic emission measures
Am J Audiol
Association between cardiorespiratory fitness and hearing sensitivity
Am J Audiol
Walking compared with vigorous physical activity and risk of type 2 diabetes in women: a prospective study
JAMA
A prospective study of walking as compared with vigorous exercise in the prevention of coronary heart disease in women
N Engl J Med
General review of tinnitus: prevalence, mechanisms, effects, and management
J Speech Lang Hear Res
Prevalence and 5-year incidence of tinnitus among older adults: the epidemiology of hearing loss study
J Am Acad Audiol
Prevalence and characteristics of hearing problems in a working and non-working Swedish population
J Epidemiol Community Health
Cigarette smoking, relative weight, and menopause
Am J Epidemiol
The validity of recalled weight among younger women
Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord
Validity of self-reported waist and hip circumferences in men and women
Epidemiology
Cited by (0)
Funding: This research was supported by grants DC010811 and CA50385 from the National Institutes of Health and from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.
Conflict of Interest: None.
Authorship: All authors had access to the data and participated in the preparation of the manuscript.