Codes and Frequencies
Description
For sample adults who have trouble hearing or are deaf, or who hear worse in one ear than the other (for 2007), HEARDAAGE reports the age in categories for the beginning of adult's hearing loss.
Related Variables
Other variables are included in the NHIS survey.
Examples of hearing variables include:
- Referred to an audiologist, past 5 years (HRAUD, 2007 only)
- Referred to a hearing specialist, past 5 years (HRAUD, 2007 only)
- Told of hearing problem by friends or relatives (HRFAM, 2007 only)
- Hearing loss sudden or gradual (HRSUDDEN, 2007)
- Frequency hearing causes worry about safety (HRSAFETY, 2007)
- Cause of hearing loss (HRCAUSE1, 2002, 2007)
,
- Hearing without hearing aid, left ear (HRLEFT ,1971, 1977, 1990-1991, 1999, 2007-2008)
- Hearing without hearing aid, right ear (HRRIGHT, 1971, 1977, 1990-1991, 1999, 2007-2008)
- Can hear and understand someone who whispers from across a quiet room (HRWHISP, 2007 only)
- Can hear and understand someone who shouts from across a quiet room (HRSHOUT 2007 only)
- Can hear and understand if someone speaks loudly in the "better ear" from across a quiet room (HRSPEAK, 2007 only)
- Can hear and understand if someone talks in a normal voice from across a room (HRSPEAK, 2007 only)
- Trouble with hearing in presence of background noise (HRBACK, 2007 only)
For a full list and other details about hearing related variables see HEARING,quality of hearing, available for 1997-2009).
Comparability
Apart from changes in universe, substantive changes in the question wording and in the response categories also reduce comparability over time. In 1999, interviewers asked when respondents, "began to have hearing loss." That year, 6 categories were recognized, with childhood divided into at birth, less than 3 years, and 3 to 18 years ("less than 19 years). In 2002, interviewers asked when respondents, "began to have ANY hearing loss in either ear." That year, 7 categories were recognized, with childhood divided into at birth, 0 to 2 years, 3 to 5 years and 6 to 18 years. In 2007, interviewers asked when respondents, "began to have ANY permanent" hearing loss. There were 9 categories, with the additional childhood category of 6 to 11 years , and adult response categories changed to 20 to 39 years, 40 to 59 years, 60 to 69 years and 70 or more.
IPUMS NHIS uses a recode structure which recognizes broad age categories to increase comparability over time. Categories which include ages 3 to 19 start with the number "3." Response categories indicating adulthood start with "4,"and responses indicating elderly start with "5." See the "Codes" link above for further description of the recoding scheme.
Universe
- 1999: Sample adults age 18+ who are deaf.
- 2002: Sample adults age 18+ who have a little or a lot of trouble hearing or who are deaf.
- 2007: Sample adults age 18+ who have trouble hearing or are deaf OR whose hearing is good or hearing status is unknown AND who hear worse in one ear than the other.
Availability
- 1999, 2002, 2007
Weights
- 1999, 2002, 2007 : SAMPWEIGHT
