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.

中文翻译：

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听力干预与健康教育控制对疲劳的影响：ACHIEVE 研究的二次分析。


背景技术疲劳是患有听力损失的老年人的常见主诉。随机对照试验尚未研究解决听力损失对疲劳症状的影响。在老年人衰老和认知健康评估 (ACHIEVE) 研究的二次分析中，我们研究了听力干预与健康教育控制对社区居住的听力损失老年人 3 年疲劳变化的影响。方法 在美国 4 个研究地点（北卡罗来纳州福赛斯县；密西西比州杰克逊；明尼苏达州明尼阿波利斯；马里兰州华盛顿县）招募年龄在 70-84 岁且患有未经治疗的听力损失的参与者，随机 (1:1) 进行听力测试干预或健康教育控制并随访3年。通过两种仪器（RAND-36 和 PROMIS）测量疲劳症状的三年变化。我们根据意向治疗原则，使用线性混合效应模型将干预效果估计为干预组和对照组之间 3 年疲劳变化的差异。结果 参与者 (n = 977) 的平均年龄 (SD) 为 76.8 (4.0) 岁，其中 53.5% 为女性，87.8% 为白人。 3 年多来，使用 RAND 疲劳评分（β = -0.12 [95% CI：-0.22，-0.02]）观察到听力干预与健康教育控制对疲劳的有益影响。估计还表明，通过 PROMIS 疲劳评分（β = -0.32 [95% CI：-1.15，0.51]）测量时，听力干预对疲劳有有益影响。结论 我们的研究结果表明，听力干预可以在 3 年内减轻听力损失老年人的疲劳。