Can Hearing Aids Improve Physical Activity in Adults with Hearing Loss? A Feasibility Study.

: Adults with hearing loss demonstrate poorer overall health outcomes (e.g., physical health, cognitive functioning and wellbeing) and lower levels of physical activity/function compared to those without hearing loss.

Energy expenditure estimation during activities of daily living in middle-aged and older adults using an accelerometer integrated into a hearing aid.

Background: Accelerometers were traditionally worn on the hip to estimate energy expenditure (EE) during physical activity but are increasingly replaced by products worn on the wrist to enhance wear compliance, despite potential compromises in EE estimation accuracy. In the older population, where the prevalence of hearing loss is higher, a new, integrated option may arise. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the accuracy and precision of EE estimates using an accelerometer integrated into a hearing aid and compare its performance with sensors simultaneously worn on the wrist and hip.

Associations Between Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Audiometric Hearing: Findings From the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging.

Objectives: The objectives of the study were to determine, among a population-based sample of Canadian adults, if risk factors for cardiovascular disease (alone and in combination) were associated with hearing loss. Cross-sectional and longitudinal associations (the latter with about 3 years of follow-up) were examined. Risk factors considered included diabetes, dyslipidemia, hypertension, obesity, and smoking.

New horizons in holistic, person-centred health promotion for hearing healthcare.

Over the course of a lifetime, the risk of experiencing multiple chronic conditions (multimorbidity) increases, necessitating complex healthcare regimens. Healthcare that manages these requirements in an integrated way has been shown to be more effective than services that address specific diseases individually. One such chronic condition that often accompanies ageing is hearing loss and related symptoms, such as tinnitus.

User characteristics associated with use of wrist-worn wearables and physical activity apps by adults with and without impaired speech-in-noise recognition: a cross-sectional analysis.

Objective: To study weekly use of smartwatches, fitness watches and physical activity apps among adults with and without impaired speech-in-noise (SIN) recognition, to identify subgroups of users.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Study Sample: Adults (aged 28-80 years) with impaired ( = 384) and normal SIN recognition ( = 341) as measured with a web-based digits-in-noise test, from the Netherlands Longitudinal Study on Hearing.

A Comparison of the Use of Smart Devices, Apps, and Social Media Between Adults With and Without Hearing Impairment: Cross-sectional Web-Based Study.

Background: eHealth and social media could be of particular benefit to adults with hearing impairment, but it is unknown whether their use of smart devices, apps, and social media is similar to that of the general population.

Objective: Our aim is to study whether adults with normal hearing and those with impaired hearing differ in their weekly use of smart devices, apps, and social media; reasons for using social media; and benefits from using social media.

Methods: We used data from a Dutch cohort, the National Longitudinal Study on Hearing.

Comorbidities of hearing loss and the implications of multimorbidity for audiological care.

With increasing age, the risk of developing chronic health conditions also increases, and many older people suffer from multiple co-existing health conditions, i.e., multimorbidity.

Assessment of CYP1A2 enzyme activity in relation to type-2 diabetes and habitual caffeine intake.

Background: Coffee consumption is a known inducer of cytochrome P450 1A2 (CYP1A2) enzyme activity. We recently observed that a group of type-2 diabetes patients consumed more caffeine (coffee) on a daily basis than non-type-2 diabetes controls. Here, we investigated whether type-2 diabetes cases may metabolize caffeine faster than non-type-2 diabetes controls.

A case-control field study on the relationships among type 2 diabetes, sleepiness and habitual caffeine intake.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine the possible links between type 2 diabetes, daytime sleepiness, sleep quality and caffeine consumption.

Methods: In this case-control field study, comparing type 2 diabetic ( n=134) and non-type 2 diabetic ( n=230) participants, subjects completed detailed and validated questionnaires to assess demographic status, health, daytime sleepiness, sleep quality and timing, diurnal preference, mistimed circadian rhythms and habitual caffeine intake. All participants gave saliva under standardised conditions for CYP1A2 genotyping and quantification of caffeine concentration.

Adenosine, caffeine, and performance: from cognitive neuroscience of sleep to sleep pharmacogenetics.

An intricate interplay between circadian and sleep-wake homeostatic processes regulate cognitive performance on specific tasks, and individual differences in circadian preference and sleep pressure may contribute to individual differences in distinct neurocognitive functions. Attentional performance appears to be particularly sensitive to time of day modulations and the effects of sleep deprivation. Consistent with the notion that the neuromodulator, adenosine , plays an important role in regulating sleep pressure, pharmacologic and genetic data in animals and humans demonstrate that differences in adenosinergic tone affect sleepiness, arousal and vigilant attention in rested and sleep-deprived states.