Hearing and visual impairments are among the most common forms of impairment in older adults. Despite the importance of these impairments as a public health problem there has been relatively little research on the epidemiology of multiple sensory impairment and its influence on functional status, including risk of mortality. The current proposed study would examine the prevalence and functional health correlates of hearing impairment and dual sensory impairment including risk of mortality. The National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) is a household survey of the US civilian population conducted annually by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). In total from 1986-94, demographic, health, visual and hearing impairment have been collected on nearly 117,000 US adults. Recently, NCHS conducted a mortality follow-up for all individuals participating in the 1986-94 NHIS surveys. Using this uniquely representative and large database the Investigators will: 1) estimate the prevalence and severity of reported hearing impairment and dual sensory impairment (visual impairment and hearing impairment) in US adults by age, gender and race/ethnicity, 2) evaluate the reported health and disability status of US adults with and without hearing impairment and dual sensory impairment, 3) estimate and compare the overall and cause-specific mortality rates for adults with and without hearing impairment and dual sensory impairment, and 4) develop, test and compare theoretical models such as the one depicted in Figure 1 of this application, in which the interrelationships between risk factors, single and dual sensory impairment, functional status and mortality are assessed. This proposed study will address several research objectives outlined in the NIA Program Announcement #PA-99-123, The Aging Senses: Relationships Among Multiple Sensory Systems, which include the support of: 1) epidemiological studies in which more than one sensory modality is studied in a given population in order to measure the prevalence and extent of decline as well as to elucidate interactions among modalities, and 2) studies of the effects of multiple sensory deficits on functional status and quality of life in elderly humans.
