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A preprint reports findings from an observational analysis using UK Biobank data to examine the relationship between hearing outcomes and physical activity measured through wrist-worn accelerometers. The study uses data from roughly 79,000 adults aged 39 to 70, combining objective sensor-based activity metrics with self-reported hearing difficulty and performance on a speech-in-noise test. Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity was quantified using accelerometer output rather than self-reports.
After adjusting for demographic, socioeconomic, and health-related variables, the authors report an association between higher levels of accelerometer-measured moderate-to-vigorous activity and lower odds of hearing difficulties and speech-in-noise impairment. The paper iterates that the findings are correlational and exploratory, but demonstrates how large-scale wearable data can be used to study potential links between lifestyle factors and sensory function.
Read the preprint here.
