Abstract:
The present study investigated the effect of age on hearing aid preferences, and consisted of two parts. Part 1 investigated the effect of age on the importance of hearing aid attributes using three questionnaires. A customized questionnaire assessed the importance of the hearing aid attributes: sound quality, hearing aid price, ease of use, and cosmetics. An adapted version of the Universal Design Performance Measures of Products (mUDPP) questionnaire assessed hearing aid ease of use and stigma. The Hearing Aid Selection Profile (HASP) was used to investigate potential mediating factors for any age effects identified. A significant increase in the importance of price, and a significant decrease in the importance of cosmetics occurred with increasing age. The importance of sound quality and ease of use did not change with age. A significant age related decline was also found for mUDPP measures of ease of use and stigma. Mediating factors were identified for the effect of age on the importance of price and the mUDPP measure of ease of use. Part 2 investigated the effect of age on preferences towards hearing aid styles, using a structured interview. Younger and older participants were shown four modern hearing aids: the Resound be, Phonak Audeo Zip, Resound Pulse, and the Exsilent Q. Overall preferences and satisfaction with the handling and invisibility of each hearing aid was measured. Younger and older age groups were most satisfied with the handling and invisibility of the Resound be, and preferred this hearing aid the most. Both age groups were least satisfied with the handling, and invisibility of the Exsilent Q, and preferred this hearing aid the least. Younger and older age groups were also dissatisfied with the invisibility of the Resound Pulse, and the older group were less satisfied with the handling of this hearing aid. Older participants were less satisfied with the invisibility and handling of the Phonak Audeo Zip, and preferred this hearing aid less than younger users. Overall, the present study showed that hearing aid preferences differ considerably for different age groups.