Effect of Hearing Intervention Versus Health Education Control on Fatigue: A Secondary Analysis of the ACHIEVE Study

• Published in: The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences Biological sciences and medical sciences, 2024-11, Vol.79 (11)
• Main Authors: Bessen, Sarah Y, Zhang, Wuyang, Huang, Alison R, Arnold, Michelle, Burgard, Sheila, Chisolm, Theresa H, Couper, David, Deal, Jennifer A, Faucette, Sarah P, Goman, Adele M, Glynn, Nancy W, Gmelin, Theresa, Gravens-Mueller, Lisa, Hayden, Kathleen M, Mitchell, Christine M, Pankow, James S, Pike, James R, Reed, Nicholas S, Sanchez, Victoria A, Schrack, Jennifer A, Sullivan, Kevin J, Coresh, Josef, Lin, Frank R, Martinez-Amezcua, Pablo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 1079-5006; 1758-535X; 1758-535X
• DOI: 10.1093/gerona/glae193

Abstract Background Fatigue is a common complaint among older adults with hearing loss. The impact of addressing hearing loss on fatigue symptoms has not been studied in a randomized controlled trial. In a secondary analysis of the Aging and Cognitive Health Evaluation in Elders (ACHIEVE) study, we investigated the effect of hearing intervention versus health education control on 3-year change in fatigue in community-dwelling older adults with hearing loss. Methods Participants aged 70–84 years old with untreated hearing loss recruited across 4 study sites in the United States (Forsyth County, North Carolina; Jackson, Mississippi; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Washington County, Maryland) were randomized (1:1) to hearing intervention or health education control and followed for 3 years. Three-year change in fatigue symptoms was measured by 2 instruments (RAND-36 and PROMIS). We estimated the intervention effect as the difference in the 3-year change in fatigue between intervention and control groups using a linear mixed-effects model under the intention-to-treat principle. Results Participants (n = 977) had a mean age (SD) of 76.8 (4.0) years, were 53.5% female and 87.8% White. Over 3 years, a beneficial effect of the hearing intervention versus health education control on fatigue was observed using the RAND-fatigue score (β = −0.12 [95% CI: −0.22, −0.02]). Estimates also suggested beneficial effect of hearing intervention on fatigue when measured by the PROMIS-fatigue score (β = −0.32 [95% CI: −1.15, 0.51]). Conclusions Our findings suggest that hearing intervention may reduce fatigue over 3 years among older adults with hearing loss.