Elsevier

The American Journal of Medicine

Volume 126, Issue 12, December 2013, Pages 1142.e1-1142.e8
The American Journal of Medicine

AJM online
Clinical research study
Body Mass Index, Waist Circumference, Physical Activity, and Risk of Hearing Loss in Women

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amjmed.2013.04.026Get rights and content

Abstract

Background

Acquired hearing loss is highly prevalent, but prospective data on potentially modifiable risk factors are limited. In cross-sectional studies, higher body mass index (BMI), larger waist circumference, and lower physical activity have been associated with poorer hearing, but these have not been examined prospectively.

Methods

We examined the independent associations between BMI, waist circumference, and physical activity, and self-reported hearing loss in 68,421 women in the Nurses' Health Study II from 1989 to 2009. Baseline and updated information on BMI, waist circumference, and physical activity was obtained from biennial questionnaires.

Results

After more than 1.1 million person-years of follow-up, 11,286 cases of hearing loss were reported to have occurred. Higher BMI and larger waist circumference were associated with increased risk of hearing loss. Compared with women with BMI <25 kg/m2, the multivariate-adjusted relative risk (RR) for women with BMI ≥40 was 1.25 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.14-1.37). Compared with women with waist circumference <71 cm, the multivariate-adjusted RR for waist circumference >88 cm was 1.27 (95% CI, 1.17-1.38). Higher physical activity was related inversely to risk; compared with women in the lowest quintile of physical activity, the multivariate-adjusted RR for women in the highest quintile was 0.83 (95% CI, 0.78-0.88). Walking 2 hours per week or more was associated inversely with risk. Simultaneous adjustment for BMI, waist circumference, and physical activity slightly attenuated the associations but they remained statistically significant.

Conclusions

Higher BMI and larger waist circumference are associated with increased risk, and higher physical activity is associated with reduced risk of hearing loss in women. These findings provide evidence that maintaining healthy weight and staying physically active, potentially modifiable lifestyle factors, may help reduce the risk of hearing loss.

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.

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  • 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.

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