Survey overview
EuroTrak Norway 2012 was designed and conducted by Anovum on behalf of GN ReSound, Oticon, Phonak, Siemens and Widex Norway. The study included a representative screening sample of 14,866 people and detailed interviews with 1,309 people with self-reported hearing loss, comprising 691 hearing aid owners and 618 non-owners.
Hearing loss and adoption
In EuroTrak Norway 2012, 8.8% of the total population reported hearing loss, rising to 10.8% among adults aged 18 and over.
Hearing aid adoption was 42.5% among people with self-reported hearing loss and 43.3% among adults with hearing loss. Among hearing aid owners, 74% had binaural treatment. Adoption increased substantially with severity of hearing loss.
Route to hearing care
42% of respondents had undergone a hearing test within the previous five years, comprising 12% tested within the previous year and 30% between one and five years earlier.
Among people with self-reported hearing loss, 76% had discussed their hearing loss with an ENT doctor and/or family doctor, while 58% received positive medical advice or a recommendation for further action from one of these professionals.
GPs frequently acted as a referral point: 55% of GP consultations resulted in referral to an ENT, while 13% resulted in a recommendation for no further action. Among ENT consultations, 49% resulted in referral to an audiologist, 39% in a recommendation to obtain a hearing aid and 26% in no further action.
Hearing aid use and satisfaction
Hearing aids were worn for an average of 7.9 hours per day. 67% of currently owned hearing aids had been fitted in 2009 or later, and the average age of devices was 2.7 years. The median age of hearing aids before replacement was six years.
Overall, 72% of hearing aid owners were satisfied with their devices. Satisfaction was higher among people who wore their hearing aids for longer each day and among users with more recently acquired devices.
Users reported positive effects particularly in communication, social life and sense of safety. Hearing aid ownership was also associated with a lower reported risk of depression and forgetfulness compared with non-owners with hearing loss.
Reimbursement and awareness
Third-party support was widespread: 94% of hearing aid owners received full or partial reimbursement, with 60% receiving full reimbursement and 34% receiving partial reimbursement.
Awareness among non-owners was much lower: 63% did not know whether government or insurance would contribute to the cost of hearing aids, while 10% believed no support would be available.
Barriers to adoption
The main reasons for not using hearing aids were concerns that they do not work well in noisy situations, believing they could still hear well enough, feeling that hearing loss was not severe enough, and concerns about discomfort. The survey noted that hearing aid cost itself was not a major barrier in Norway.
12% of non-owners intended to obtain a hearing aid within the following year. Worsening hearing loss, advice from ENT specialists, encouragement from significant others and advice from audiologists were among the most important potential influences on adoption.
Overall, EuroTrak Norway 2012 shows relatively high hearing aid adoption, widespread reimbursement and substantial daily use, while perceived need, comfort and concerns about hearing aid performance remained important barriers among non-owners.
Source: Anovum – EuroTrak Norway 2012.
