Hearing Aid Use Tied to Lower Odds of Probable Dementia in U.S. Study

An analysis of 7,574 older Americans in the National Health and Aging Trends Study finds that hearing aid use is associated with lower odds of probable dementia, while the burden of cognitive decline remains sharply unequal across racial and ethnic groups.

Dementia research has increasingly focused on modifiable risk factors, the things about health and daily life that can potentially be changed, in contrast to fixed factors like age or genetics. Hearing has become one of the most closely watched of these factors, because hearing loss is common in later life and is treatable.

A new study led by researchers at San Diego State University adds nationally representative American data to that conversation. Using a large federal survey of older adults, the team mapped who is most likely to have probable or possible dementia and which health and sensory factors travel with that risk.

Background: Why the Researchers Looked at This

Global frameworks for dementia prevention list a set of modifiable risk factors, including hearing loss, depression, low education, and physical inactivity. But most of the evidence behind those lists comes from relatively homogeneous study populations, and it is not clear how the risks play out across the diverse racial and ethnic groups that make up the American older population.

The study drew on the National Health and Aging Trends Study, known as NHATS, a long-running federal survey of Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 and older. NHATS classifies participants as having probable dementia, possible dementia, or no dementia based on reported diagnoses, cognitive interviews, and structured testing.

The researchers wanted to know three things: how common probable and possible dementia are, which factors predict them, and whether those predictions differ for Hispanic, non-Hispanic White, and non-Hispanic Black older adults. Sensory corrections, meaning eyeglasses and hearing aids, were among the factors examined.

How the Study Was Done

The team analyzed 7,574 older adults from the 2023 wave of NHATS. Because NHATS uses a complex sampling design, the researchers applied survey weights so that the results reflect the national population of older Americans rather than just the people interviewed.

Cognitive status was modeled with multinomial logistic regression, a statistical method that estimates the odds of falling into the probable or possible dementia categories compared with no dementia. The models included interaction terms, which allowed the researchers to test whether the effect of a given factor, such as hearing aid use or low education, differed across demographic groups.

What the Researchers Found

Several familiar risk factors emerged. Advanced age, low education, stroke, falls, and depression or anxiety were all associated with higher odds of probable and possible dementia, and depression roughly doubled the overall risk of probable dementia. On the protective side of the ledger, being female, using vision correction, and using a hearing aid were each associated with lower odds of probable dementia.

The disparities were stark. Hispanic adults aged 85 and older faced a 60.2 percent predicted probability of probable dementia, compared with 35.1 percent for non-Hispanic White adults of the same age. Low education disproportionately raised prevalence among Hispanic older adults, and problems with chewing or swallowing were linked to a 42.2 percent probability of probable dementia for Hispanic adults versus 19.3 percent for non-Hispanic Whites.

The hearing aid finding also varied by group. Among non-Hispanic White and non-Hispanic Black adults, hearing aid users showed a lower probability of probable dementia than non-users. Among Hispanic adults, users showed a higher probability, a reversal the authors connect to unequal access, since those with fewer resources may only obtain hearing aids late, if at all, and often after other health problems have accumulated.

The authors conclude that standardized, one-size-fits-all interventions are insufficient, and they specifically call out inadequate insurance coverage for audiology and dental services as a structural barrier that needs to be addressed.

What It Means for People with Hearing Loss

This study cannot prove that hearing aids protect the brain. It is cross-sectional, meaning it captures a snapshot in time, and people who use hearing aids may differ in many ways from people who do not. Still, the association between hearing aid use and lower odds of probable dementia in a nationally representative sample is consistent with a growing body of research treating hearing care as part of healthy aging.

The disparities data carry their own message. If cost and coverage keep some groups from addressing hearing loss until late in life, then making hearing help easier and cheaper to obtain is not just a consumer convenience issue but a health equity issue.

For individuals, the practical takeaway is unchanged by the study's limits: untreated hearing loss is linked with worse cognitive outcomes across many studies, and addressing it is a low-risk step that improves daily communication regardless of what future research concludes about causation.

Lowering the Barrier Between Older Adults and Hearing Help

Because this study ties hearing aid use to lower odds of probable dementia while pointing at access barriers, it is relevant that FDA-OTC hearing aids now let adults with mild-to-moderate hearing loss obtain devices without the clinic visits and coverage hurdles the authors describe.

Panda Quantum is one such device, a 16-channel receiver-in-canal aid built around adaptive noise reduction hearing aid processing for clearer speech in noisy environments, the settings where listening demands on older adults are highest. A single charge lasts 20 hours, and the case carries three additional full charges for 80 hours of total use, with Bluetooth for calls, TV, and music.

An optional app can run an in-ear hearing check and personalize the sound to the user's hearing profile, though Quantum works fully without the app or the test. It comes with a 5-year warranty and a 45-day trial starting on delivery. OTC devices are approved for mild-to-moderate hearing loss; severe or profound loss still benefits most from a clinical fitting.

Limitations of This Research

The study is cross-sectional, so it identifies associations rather than causes, and hearing aid use was self-reported rather than audiologically verified. NHATS classifies dementia as probable or possible using survey-based methods rather than full clinical diagnosis, which can misclassify some participants. The authors also note that the observed disparities reflect structural factors like insurance coverage and education access that a single survey cannot fully disentangle.

Where This Leaves Us

This national snapshot reinforces two ideas at once: sensory care, including hearing aids, keeps showing up on the protective side of dementia statistics, and the groups facing the highest dementia burden are often the ones with the least access to that care. Whether the next step is better insurance coverage, culturally responsive care pathways, or simply more affordable devices, the study makes a case that hearing should stay near the center of the healthy aging conversation.

Lee YS, Cruz JA, Kabakibi M, Moore A, Lee JA, Jun HJ. Prevalence, risk factors, and racial disparities in probable and possible dementia: the national health and aging trends study. The Journal of Prevention of Alzheimer's Disease. 2026. Retrieved from PubMed. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tjpad.2026.100676