Affiliation:
1. School of Psychology and Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin , Dublin , Ireland
2. The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing, Trinity College Dublin , Dublin , Ireland
3. School of Applied Psychology, University College Cork , Cork , Ireland
4. Mercer Institute for Successful Ageing, St. James Hospital , Dublin , Ireland
Abstract
Abstract
Background and Objectives
Self-reported sensory data provide important insight into an individual’s perception of sensory ability. It remains unclear what factors predict longitudinal change in self-reported sensory ability across multiple modalities during healthy aging. This study examined these associations in a cohort of older adults for vision, hearing, taste, and smell.
Research Design and Methods
Data on self-report sensory ability were drawn from 5,065 participants of The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (mean age at baseline = 61.6, SD = 9.5, range 32–93 years; 59% female; resident in the Republic of Ireland) across 6 waves of data collection (2009–2021). Covariates included demographics, lifestyle factors, and measures of sensory, physical, mental, and cognitive health. Independent discrete survival analyses were performed for each sensory modality.
Results
A transition to self-reported fair/poor hearing was most prevalent (21% of the sample), followed by fair/poor vision (19%), smell (11%), and taste (6%). Participants who self-reported fair/poor function in one sensory modality were likely to report fair/poor ability in another sensory modality, although not for all pairings. Only self-rated fair/poor health was associated with increased odds of self-reported fair/poor ability across all sensory modalities. Age was associated with increased odds of self-reported fair/poor hearing, smell, and taste, as was current smoker status (vision, smell, and taste). Several other sensory (e.g., eye disease, hearing aid use) and nonsensory covariates (e.g., education, depression) were associated with the odds of self-reported fair/poor ability in one or two sensory modalities only.
Discussion and Implications
Over time, older adults perceive associations in fair/poor ability for multiple sensory modalities, albeit somewhat inconsistently. Both modality-general and modality-specific factors are associated with a transition from normal to fair/poor sensory ability. These results suggest the need for more routine testing of multiple senses with increasing age.
Publisher
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Subject
Life-span and Life-course Studies,Health Professions (miscellaneous),Health (social science)
Cited by
3 articles.
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