Hearing loss, health and wellbeing

Healthcare professional lifestyle education series – Session 4

This session was the fourth in a series of five expert talks providing a continued professional development opportunity for individuals working within healthcare who have a special interest in lifestyle medicine.

Each talk provided cutting-edge information relating to developments within the fields of exercise as medicine, nutrition, and behaviour change. Led by a team of world-leading academics, each talk conveyed the key take-home messages from the latest research with the aim of extending the knowledge and understanding of those with a basic interest in the field.

Dr David Maidment: Connecting the dots – hearing impairment, physical inactivity and incident dementia

Recent research has shown that older adults with hearing loss take part in significantly less physical activity than age-matched controls. As a result, older adults with hearing loss are more likely to develop more life-threatening health conditions (or noncommunicable diseases), including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and dementia. Previous research has shown that web-based (or digital) health programmes can promote physical activity in older adults. These programmes can include activity tracking, such as step counting or walk time, as well as remote coaching and social support. However, no programs have been designed to meet the specific and complex health care needs of older adults with hearing loss.

This presentation outlined the work that we are undertaking at Loughborough University to assess the associations between hearing impairment, physical activity, and noncommunicable disease risk. This research will inform the development of a digital home fitness platform that aims to improve physical activity in older adults with hearing loss so they can live longer, healthier lives.

	Dr David Maidment is a  Lecturer in Psychology at Loughborough University. David is pursuing an independent research programme involving the development and evaluation of novel digital interventions to reduce social isolation and increase physical activity in adults with physical and sensory disabilities.

Dr Christian Füllgrabe: Auditory biases in cognitive assessment – are we over-diagnosing cognitive decline?

Dr Christian Füllgrabe graduated from the University of Paris 5 in 2005 with a PhD in Psychology; he also holds a University Diploma in “Implantable hearing prostheses” (2003) from the University of Paris 6. He worked as a post-doctoral research fellow at the University of Cambridge, and as a Senior Investigator Scientist at the MRC Institute of Hearing Research of the University of Nottingham prior to joining Loughborough University as a Lecturer in Psychology in 2018. Christian is an Associate Editor of the International Journal of Audiology and an Editorial Board member for Audiology Research.

Other events in the series

• Physical activity, energy balance and adiposity Wednesday 22nd September 17:30
• Stress, sitting time and physical activity caloric equivalents Wednesday 6th October 17:30
• Motivation, eating behaviour and diabetes in young adults Wednesday 20th October 17:30
• Physical activity, cancer and cardiometabolic health Wednesday 17th November 17:30

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