Characteristics of Older Adults Seeking Hearing Aids for the First Time and Initial Fitting Parameters in Mainland...

Objectives: This data-driven study aimed to explore the characteristics and initial hearing aid (HA) fitting parameters among older adults in Mainland China. Methods: Data were extracted from Oticon's internal database, focusing on 82,834 older adults aged 55 or above who sought HAs for the first time. Results: Demographic details (e.g., age and gender), hearing-related data (e.g., the severity of hearing loss), and HA parameters (i.e., laterality of fitting, HA style, earpieces, gain settings, directionality settings, and noise reduction settings) were analyzed. The mean age was 71. There were more males (54.7%) than females, and the majority (78.1%) had at least moderately severe hearing loss. Bilateral fittings were common (76.6%), with receiver-in-canal (RIC) HAs being the dominant style (80%) and open fittings prevalent (44.1%). HA gain was set to below prescribed targets, along with adaptive directionality (93.4%) and low noise reduction levels (>68%). Conclusions: These findings offer insights into the Chinese hearing healthcare market. Future research should incorporate data from follow-up sessions to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the landscape, such as adjustments needed after initial fitting after first-time users have spent some time adapting to the use of HAs.