A definitive study on the prevalence of adult
unilateral hearing loss and
hearing aid rehabilitation is lacking in Korea. The purpose of our study was to investigate the prevalence of adult
unilateral hearing loss and the factors associated with
hearing aid use in patients with
unilateral hearing loss in South Korea. We obtained data from 2009 to 2012 from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (KNHANES), a cross-sectional, nationwide and population-based survey in the Republic of Korea. We analyzed the prevalence and associated factors of
unilateral hearing loss and
hearing aid adoption by univariable and multivariable analysis.
Unilateral hearing loss was defined as pure tone average ≥ 41 dB in the worse hearing ear, and < 41 dB in the other ear assessed at 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0 kHz. From 2009 to 2012, 33,252 individuals participated in the KNHANES. Among them, the number of patients with
unilateral hearing loss was 1632 (5.55%) and the prevalence of
hearing aid adoption in
unilateral hearing loss was 1.56%. We also compared the factors between
hearing aid users and non-users. Occupational status (OR 3.759, 95% CI 1.443-9.804), the hearing threshold in the better ear (OR 1.088, 95% CI 1.029-1.151), and hearing threshold in the worse ear (OR 1.031, 1.005-1.058) were found to affect the adoption of
hearing aids. The prevalence of noise exposure at work in
hearing aid users was significantly lower than the prevalence of noise exposure at work in those with no
hearing aid. The prevalence of
hearing aid use in patients with
unilateral hearing loss in Korea is very low compared to other countries. Public health education is needed to increase public awareness of
unilateral hearing loss,
hearing aid adoption and its continued usage. Auditory rehabilitation should be actively recommended to patients with
unilateral hearing loss.