Northerners over the age of 60 have higher rates of hearing loss than Southerners, study finds
Researchers suggested the discrepancy was linked to a ‘history of socioeconomic and health disparities’ – and warned the North of England could be ‘left behind’ in its care
Northerners over the age of 60 are more likely to experience hearing loss than Southerners, a new report has found.
Using hearing data from more than 8,000 participants, researchers at the University of Manchester found that people in their 70s in the North of England had up to 13.5 per cent higher prevalence of hearing loss than their southern counterparts. For those in their 60s, the discrepancy was up to 10 per cent.
The North East had the highest rates of disabling hearing loss among those aged 71 to 80, with 49.2 per cent, followed by Yorkshire at 46 per cent and the North West at 43 per cent. In the south East of England, this dropped to 35.7 per cent and 37.4 per cent in London.
And among those aged 61 to 70, the figure was 24.6 per cent in the North East compared with 14.6 per cent in London.
The figures for 51 to 60 year-olds and the over 80s showed little difference between the regions, researchers said.
The study is the first of its kind for around 40 years; until now, estimates of the prevalence of hearing loss in England were based on projected population age demographics and hearing data collected solely from Nottingham and Southampton in the 1980s.