Table of Contents

Quality of Life (HHIA/E)

The Hearing Handicap Inventory for Adults - screening version (HHIA-S) and the Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly - screening version (HHIE-S) are two largely overlapping 10-item self-assessment scales that aim to assess the presence of hearing loss and its impact on the quality of life (section: wellbeing & subjective health). They are the shorter versions of the 25-item HHIA and HHIE1)2)
Note that quality of life is also assessed in Lifelines using the RAND, EQ5D and SWLS questionnaires.
Other ear- and hearing-related problems are assessed with some general questions.

Scoring

The HHIA contains 10 questions: 5 'emotional' items (2a/b/e/i/k) and 5 'social/situational' items (2d/f/h/j/l).
The HHIE contains the same 10 questions, except that two of the 'social/situation' items are replaced by items that fit better with the elderly target group (2d → 2c, and 2h → 2g).

Scoring works as follows:
Participants indicated for all 12 items (8 overlapping HHIA/E items + 2 HHIA-specific items + 2 HHIE-specific items) to what extent it was applicable to their life: yes (4 points), no (0 points), or sometimes (2 points).
Since the scoring is validated for only 10 items, researchers must decide whether they want to score the HHIA (8 overlapping items + 2 HHIA-specific items) or the HHIE (8 overlapping questions + 2 HHIE-specific items) for a given participant. Adding up all the points for the resulting set of 10 age-appropriate items gives the following sum scores:

Note that one basic question about potential hearing problems (1) preceded the HHIA/E-S. Participants without any hearing problems skipped the HHIA/E-S.

Variables

Questions English Questions Dutch Code Variable Assessment Age
do you have hearing problems? hebt u hoorproblemen? hhia_hearingproblems_adu_q_01 hhias1 2B 3B ACTQ 18+
are you embarrassed about your hearing problem when you meet new people? schaamt u zich vanwege uw hoorprobleem als u nieuwe mensen ontmoet? hhia_shame_adu_q_02_a hhias2a 2B 3B 18+
do you feel frustrated by your hearing problem when talking to relatives? voelt u zich door uw hoorprobleem gefrustreerd als u met familieleden praat? hhia_frustration_adu_q_02_b hhias2b 2B 3B 18+
do you find it difficult to understand other people when they whisper? hebt u er moeite mee om een ander te verstaan als deze persoon fluistert? hhia_whispers_adu_q_02_c
(hhie-specific) 		hhias2c 2B 3B 18+
does your hearing disorder bother you in the cinema or the theatre? ondervindt u door uw hoorprobleem hinder als u in de bioscoop of het theater bent? hhia_theatre_adu_q_02_d
(hhia-specific) 		hhias2d 2B 3B 18+
do you feel limited by your hearing problem? voelt u zich beperkt door uw hoorprobleem? hhia_limitations_adu_q_02_e hhias2e 2B 3B ACTQ 18+
when you visit friends, family or neighbours, does your hearing problem make that difficult? als u op bezoek bent bij vrienden, familie of buren, maakt uw hoorprobleem dat dan lastig? hhia_socialvisits_adu_q_02_f hhias2f 2B 3B 18+
do your hearing problems cause you to attend fewer religious meetings than you would like? gaat u door uw hoorprobleem minder vaak naar religieuze bijeenkomsten dan u zou willen? hhia_religion_adu_q_02_g
(hhie-specific) 		hhias2g 2B 3B 18+
do you find it difficult to hear/understand colleagues, clients or customers because of your hearing problem? hebt u door uw hoorprobleem moeite om collega’s, cliënten, of klanten te horen/verstaan? hhia_workplace_adu_q_02_h
(hhia-specific) 		hhias2h 2B 3B 18+
does your hearing problem ever cause quarrels or rows with family members? hebt u door uw hoorprobleem wel eens onenigheid of ruzie met familieleden? hhia_fights_adu_q_02_i hhias2i 2B 3B 18+
does your hearing disorder bother you when listening to the tv or radio? ondervindt u door uw hoorprobleem hinder bij het luisteren naar de televisie of radio? hhia_television_adu_q_02_j hhias2j 2B 3B 18+
do you think that your hearing problem limits your personal or social life? vindt u dat uw hoorprobleem uw persoonlijke of sociale leven beperkt? hhia_sociallife_adu_q_02_k hhias2k 2B 3B ACTQ 18+
does your hearing disorder bother you when you are in a restaurant with family or friends? ondervindt u hinder door uw hoorprobleem als u met familie of vrienden in een restaurant bent? hhia_restaurant_adu_q_02_l hhias2l 2B 3B 18+
1)
Newman, CW et al. (1991) Test-Retest Reliability of the Hearing Handicap Inventory for Adults. Ear and Hearing 12(5); 355-357
2)
Liechtenstein MJ et al. (1988) Validation of screening tools for identifying hearing-impaired elderly in primary care. JAMA 259(19):2875-2878