What did you say? I and another 11 million people in England can't hear you

Hearing loss is the most prevalent untreated sensory disorder and a major public health issue. Today, more than 11 million people across the UK suffer from hearing loss, which translates to about one-in-six people in the UK. However, there is strong evidence that a number of factors in its aetiology are modifiable and a substantial proportion of this could be prevented or delayed.
My project, funded by the NIHR Manchester BRC, examines the relationship between socioeconomic inequality and the development of hearing impairment and the impact of hearing impairment on the lives of older adults in England in terms of mental well-being, quality of life, social engagement and economic position. This project will explore the causes and consequences of hearing impairment using longitudinal data from the English Longitudinal Study of Aging (ELSA). The ELSA is a large representative data set with information on the health, social, wellbeing and economic circumstances of the English population aged 50 and older. In addition, this project will inform health policy strategies to minimise socioeconomic risks for hearing impairment and access to hearing health services and hearing aid use in order to mitigate the adverse effects of hearing impairment in older adults in England.