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U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

Increase the proportion of adults with hearing loss who use a hearing aid — HOSCD‑07 Data Methodology and Measurement

On this page:  About this objective  |  Methodology  |  History

About this objective

Data

Data Source:  National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), CDC/NCHS

National baseline: 24.4 percent of adults aged 18 years and over with hearing loss used a hearing aid in 2023

National target: 26.3 percent

Numerator
Number of adults aged 18 years and over with hearing loss who have used a hearing aid.
Denominator
Number of adults aged 18 years and over with hearing loss.
National target-setting method
Minimal statistical significance
National target-setting method details
Minimal statistical significance, assuming the same standard error for the target as for the baseline.
National target-setting method justification
Trend data were not available for this objective. The standard error was used to calculate a target based on minimal statistical significance, assuming the same standard error for the target as for the baseline. This method was used because it was a statistically significant improvement from the baseline and the Healthy People 2030 Workgroup Subject Matter Experts expected the data to be difficult to change.
Data collection frequency
Other

Methodology

Questions used to obtain the national baseline data

(For additional information, please visit the data source page linked above.)

From the 2023 National Health Interview Survey:

Numerator:
Do you now use a hearing aid(s)?
  1. Yes
  2. No
  3. Refused
  4. Don't know
Numerator and Denominator:
WITHOUT the use of hearing aids or other listening devices, is your hearing excellent, good, a little trouble hearing, moderate trouble, a lot of trouble, or are you deaf?
  1. Excellent
  2. Good
  3. A little trouble hearing
  4. Moderate trouble
  5. A lot of trouble
  6. Deaf
  7. Refused
  8. Don't know

Methodology notes

Hearing loss will be defined by responses of any of these 3 options:

  1. "moderate trouble hearing", or
  2. "a lot of trouble", or
  3. "deaf".

History

Comparable HP2020 objective
Modified, which includes core objectives that are continuing from Healthy People 2020 but underwent a change in measurement.
Changes between HP2020 and HP2030
This objective differs from the related Healthy People 2020 objectives ENT-VSL-3.1 and ENT-VSL-3.3, which used numerator data from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) and denominator data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) to track persons with hearing loss who had ever used a hearing aid, ages 20 to 69 years, and 70 years and over, respectively. This objective uses numerator and denominator data from the NHIS to track persons aged 18 years and over with hearing loss who use a hearing aid.
Revision History
Revised. 

In 2026, the baseline was revised due to 2019 NHIS redesign. The original baseline was changed from 24.4 percent in 2018 to 24.4 percent in 2023. The target was adjusted from 26.4 to 26.3 percent to reflect the revised baseline using the same target-setting method.