Time After Time: A Multiyear Longitudinal Assessment of Music Enjoyment in Hearing Aid Users

Sunday, September 29, 2024

10:00 AM – 10:06 AM EDT

Location: MBCC, 231

Disclosure(s):

Alexander Chern, MD:

faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

Isaac Lalakea Alter, AB:

faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

Michael W. Denham, MD, MS, MPhil:

faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

Anil K. Lalwani, MD:

faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

Introduction: Hearing loss (HL) is associated with deterioration of music enjoyment and perception that can be mitigated with the use of hearing aids (HAs). We sought to examine differences in listening habits among HA users in a longitudinal study.

Methods: Adult HA users were recruited from a tertiary academic medical center and community setting. Participants reported their music listening habits and subjective music enjoyment using 10-point Likert scales, and underwent a melody discernment listening task, once between July-November 2020 and again three years later. Unpaired t-tests were used to compare responses of participants who preferred listening to music with HAs with those who prefer listening without HAs, across both time points.

Results: In total, 43 HA users participated, with an average (SD) of 24.3 (18.3) years of HA use as of 2023. Despite equivalent pure tone average (PTA) of the better hearing ear and melody discernment ability between groups in 2023, HA users who preferred music without HAs reported significantly less time listening to music (4 vs 5.4, p = 0.04) and worse overall music enjoyment with HAs (5.7 vs 7.5, p = 0.03). However, non-HA listeners also reported significantly higher music enjoyment prior to their HL diagnosis (9.7 vs 7.6, p = 0.007). These differences across groups were also observed based on 2020 responses.

Conclusions: HA users who are dissatisfied with music listening through HAs are more likely to report higher levels of music enjoyment prior to HL diagnosis, as well as decreased time listening to music after diagnosis, than those who prefer HA use for music listening. These results suggest that prior music lovers may represent a substantial proportion of HA users whose music enjoyment is inadequately rehabilitated with HAs.

Presenting Author(s)

AC

Alexander Chern, MD

Fellow
Department of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD, United States

Disclosure(s):
faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

Co-Author(s)

Isaac L. Alter, AB

Medical Student
Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons
New York, New York, United States

Disclosure(s):
faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.
Michael W. Denham, MD, MS, MPhil

Resident Physician
Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Medical University of South Carolina
Charleston, SC, United States

Disclosure(s):
faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.
AL

Alexis Leiderman, AuD

Department of Audiology, Elmhurst Hospital, United States

Disclosure information not submitted.
Jessica A. Galatioto, AuD

Assistant Professor
Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center
New York, NY, United States

Disclosure information not submitted.
JJ

Jennifer Jones, AuD

Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center, United States

Disclosure information not submitted.

Senior Author(s)

Anil K. Lalwani, MD

Professor of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Associate Dean for Student Research, Columbia VP&S
Columbia University Irving Medical Center
New York, NY, United States

Disclosure(s):
faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.