The Association of Vision and Hearing Impairment on Cognitive Function and Loneliness: Evidence From the Mexican Health and Aging Study

Objectives: We investigated whether self-reported vision and hearing were associated with cognitive function and loneliness among Mexican adults aged 50 and older. Methods: Mexican Health and Aging Study data. Vision/hearing status was self-reported (excellent-very good, good, fair-poor). Cognition was measured using nine tasks. Loneliness was measured using the UCLA Loneliness Scale. Analyses controlled for demographic and health characteristics. Results: Among 12,353 participants (mean age = 67, 58% female), poor vision, but not hearing, was associated with lower global cognition (β = −0.03, p <.05). Poor vision (OR = 1.57, 95% CI = 1.30–1.91) and hearing (OR = 1.35, 95% CI = 1.14–1.61) were associated with higher odds of being lonely after adjusting for demographics and comorbidities, but not when adjusting for limitations in daily activities and depressive symptoms. Discussion: Poor vision is a potentially modifiable risk factor for lower cognition and loneliness among Mexican adults. These associations are partly due to functional characteristics of older adults with poor vision.