Hearing Impairment Increases Economic Inequality
Objectives We evaluated changes in income levels in a hearing-impaired population. Methods The study subjects were selected from the Korean National Health Insurance Service-Health Screening Cohort data from 2002 to 2015 of Koreans ≥40 years old. In total, 5,857 hearing-impaired subjects were matche...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Korean Society of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
2021-08-01
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| Series: | Clinical and Experimental Otorhinolaryngology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.e-ceo.org/upload/pdf/ceo-2021-00325.pdf |
| Summary: | Objectives We evaluated changes in income levels in a hearing-impaired population. Methods The study subjects were selected from the Korean National Health Insurance Service-Health Screening Cohort data from 2002 to 2015 of Koreans ≥40 years old. In total, 5,857 hearing-impaired subjects were matched with 23,428 comparison participants. Differences between the initial income level and income levels at 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 years post-enrollment were compared between the hearing-impaired and comparison groups. The interaction of time and hearing impairment/comparison was estimated. Results Both the hearing-impaired group and the comparison group showed increased income levels over time. In the hearing-impaired group, the income levels at 4 and 5 years post-enrollment were higher than the initial income level (each P<0.001). In the comparison group, the income levels of all the participants after 1–5 years were higher than the initial income level (each P<0.001). The interaction of time and hearing impairment was statistically significant (P=0.021). Conclusion The increase in income over time was relatively lower in the hearing-impaired adult population; therefore, the income gap widened between this population and the normal-hearing population. |
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| ISSN: | 1976-8710 2005-0720 |