Review of Hearing Loss Among Racial/Ethnic Minorities in the United States

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to synthesize the literature on hearing loss among racial/ethnic minorities in the United States. A scoping review of primary source articles from 1950 to 2019 was conducted across four databases—CINAHL, PsycINFO, PubMed, and Scopus—to identify peer-reviewed studies. Twenty-two research studies were included. Of the 22 studies, 19 were descriptive, and 3 were interventions. Among the 19 descriptive studies, five themes related to hearing loss were identified: hearing loss prevalence, accuracy of hearing loss assessment, hearing loss risk factors, access to hearing care, and attitudes toward hearing loss. The three interventional studies focused on measuring hearing loss prevalence and promoting access to hearing care. Findings from this scoping review highlight that hearing loss is prevalent in racial/ethnic minorities. More research is needed on how economic, cultural, and age-related factors may influence hearing outcomes for racial/ethnic minorities.