Self-reported hearing is associated with time spent out-of-home and withdrawal from leisure activities in older community-dwelling adults

Background Hearing difficulties are prevalent among older people and can lead to difficulties in social interaction. These difficulties may increase the tendency to remain at home and withdraw from leisure activities. Aims To investigate whether self-reported hearing problems are associated with time spent out-of-home and withdrawal from a leisure activity among older persons. Methods Cross-sectional and longitudinal data on 75- to 90-year-old community-dwelling men and women (n = 767) was used. Self-reports of hearing, diseases, and difficulty walking 2 km were obtained via home interviews at baseline, and withdrawal from a leisure activity via 1- and 2-year follow-up telephone interviews. Time spent out-of-home was obtained from a subsample (n = 532) via seven-day diaries at baseline. Results Hearing problems were associated with time spent out-of-home (p = 0.025) and withdrawal from a leisure activity (p = 0.025) among persons reporting no walking difficulty, but not among those reporting walking difficulty (p = 0.269 and 0.396, respectively). Among the former, persons with major hearing problems spent significantly less time out-of-home (estimated marginal mean 161 min, 95 % CI 122–212) than those with good hearing (242, 95 % CI 218–270). Persons with major hearing problems also had 3.0 times higher odds (95 % CI 1.3–7.1) for withdrawal from a leisure activity than persons with good hearing during the two-year follow-up. Discussion and conclusions Among older adults without walking difficulty, hearing problems may reduce time spent out-of-home and increase the likelihood for withdrawal from a leisure activity. Decreased leisure and out-of-home activity may have negative effects on older persons’ social, mental and physical functioning.