Document ID (ISN) | 106529 |
CIS number |
07-569 |
ISSN - Serial title |
1059-924X - Journal of Agromedicine |
Year |
2005 |
Convention or series no. |
|
Author(s) |
Rabinowitz P.M., Sircar K.D., Tarabar S., Galusha D., Slade M.D. |
Title |
Hearing loss in migrant agricultural workers |
Bibliographic information |
2005, Vol.10, No.4, p.9-17. Illus. 20 ref. |
Abstract |
This cross-sectional survey of 150 migrant agricultural workers was conducted to assess the prevalence and impact of hearing loss in this population, using a bilingual questionnaire. Pure tone audiometry and tympanometry were performed in a mobile testing van. More than half the subjects had some degree of hearing loss, especially in the higher frequencies. Hispanic males in the sample had significantly greater prevalence of high-frequency hearing loss compared to those in the national Hispanic Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (HHANES). More than 35% of respondents complained of subjective difficulty hearing or understanding speech. Even after adjusting for measured hearing loss, Hispanic farm workers were more likely than their English-speaking counterparts to complain of difficulty hearing or understanding speech, suggesting that language barriers could worsen the impact of hearing loss. Risk factors for hearing loss included age, abnormal tympanometry, and exposures to noise and pesticides. The use of hearing protection was rare. |
Descriptors (primary) |
USA; agriculture; migrant workers; hearing loss |
Descriptors (secondary) |
speech communication; safety consciousness; subjective assessment; noise; audiometric tests; cross-sectional study; speech audiometry; frequency rates; tympanic membrane changes |
Document type |
D - Periodical articles |
Country / State or Province | USA |
Subject(s) |
Occupational pathology
|
Broad subject area(s) |
Occupational medicine, epidemiology Industries and occupations
|
Browse category(ies) |
Agriculture Diseases of the ear and hearing damage
|