Introduction Because hearing difficulties contribute significantly to years lived with disability and global economic burdens, finding ways to support hearing health is crucial. Despite decades of research investigating hearing loss and why some listeners struggle while listening to speech in noise more than others, answers remain elusive. Investigating modifiable lifestyle factors such as moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) that have been shown to support brain and cognitive function may help answer these questions about hearing health.

Methods We examined the association between time spent in MVPA and self-reported hearing problems in the UK Biobank, a comprehensive population dataset. A subset of 79,286 participants aged 39-70 years who had complete accelerometer, hearing, demographic, and medical data were used. In our sample, 54.57% were female. The duration of MVPA and proportion of participants meeting physical activity guidelines (>150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per week) were measured using wrist-worn accelerometry. Self-reported problems with hearing or understanding speech in noise were the primary outcomes. Logistic regressions were used to assess the relationship between MVPA and hearing problems while controlling for health and demographic factors.

Results Spending more time in MVPA was associated with lower odds of reporting a hearing problem (OR=0.990, 95% CI [0.983, 0.997], p=0.005) and lower odds of reporting a speech-in-noise problem (OR= 0.991, 95% CI [0.985, 0.998], p= 0.007). Additionally, meeting physical activity guidelines was associated with lower odds of reporting problems with hearing (OR= 0.958, 95% CI [0.923, 0.995], p= 0.025) and speech in noise (OR= 0.953, 95% CI [0.922, 0.986], p= 0.005).

Conclusions These findings suggest that spending more time in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity benefits hearing health as it is associated with lower odds of reporting hearing or speech-in-noise problems. Targeting physical activity as a non-invasive and low-cost intervention may make the common issue of hearing loss more manageable.

Key Messages What we already know:

Decades of research has shown that moderate-to-vigorous physical activity benefits cognitive and brain health. Similarly, prior work has shown that speech in noise understanding relies on executive functions and hearing sensitivity relates to physical activity levels. While the link between these concepts loosely exists, insufficient work has looked at how MVPA affects overall hearing health.

What this study adds:

In this prospective cohort study of 79,286 participants from the UK Biobank, we used logistic regressions to see whether spending more time in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity was associated with lower odds of reporting problems with hearing or understanding speech in noise.

How this study might affect research, practice, or policy

The authors have declared no competing interest.

This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sector

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The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below:

Data were obtained through a UK Biobank application (ID 140089). Participants provided signed informed consent and the research was approved by the North West Multi-Centre Research Ethics Committee (21/NW/0157).

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