Objective:

To determinate the prevalence of hearing loss (HL) and visual impairment (VI) among adult population from Tlaxcala, Mexico.

Materials and methods:

A population-based cross-sectional study comprising persons 50 years and older was conducted in 2013. Self-reported HL was measured using the Hearing Impairment Inventory for the Elderly (SHIIE) questionnaire; VI was determined using the Snellen tumbling E chart.

Results:

900 women and 611 men (mean age 66.1 years) were included. 481(31.8%) individuals had HL (415 alone and 66 combined with VI). Prevalence of HL alone and together with VI was associated with age (per two years, OR=1.03 and OR=1.18, respectively) and self-reported poor health status (OR=1.90 and OR=3.69, respectively).

Conclusion:

The high prevalence of these disabilities calls for the implementation of public health interventions that help to reduce its impact in the population.

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