Hearing loss in migrant agricultural workers.
Hearing loss in migrant agricultural workers.
复制标题
DOI：
10.1300/j096v10n04_04
复制
发表时间：
2005-01-01
影响因子：
2.4
通讯作者：
Slade, Martin D
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Rabinowitz, Peter M;Sircar, Kanta D;Slade, Martin D
背景：农民听力损失率高，但对农民工听力状况了解甚少。我们进行了一项横断面调查，以评估听力损失的患病率和影响，在此population.METHODS：150流动和季节性农业工人进行了调查，在一系列的健康博览会在移民营地举行。双语问卷包括与听力损失危险因素和主观听力困难相关的项目。在移动的测试车货车上进行纯音测听和鼓室导抗测试。结果：在500 ~ 6000 Hz测听频率范围内，半数以上的受试者有不同程度的听力损失，尤其是在较高频率。在国家西班牙裔健康和营养检查调查（HHANES）中，样本中的西班牙裔男性与成年人相比，高频听力损失的患病率显着更高。超过35%的受访者抱怨主观听力或理解语音困难，但没有工人报告使用助听器。即使在调整了测量的听力损失后，西班牙裔农场工人也比说英语的同行更有可能抱怨听力或理解言语困难，这表明语言障碍可能会加剧听力损失的影响。听力损失的危险因素包括年龄和异常鼓室压。职业暴露于噪音拖拉机和其他机械以及农药的频繁报道，而使用听力保护是罕见的。结论：听力损失是一个显着的和认识不足的问题，在农民工人口。需要进一步的预防和治疗努力。
BACKGROUND: Farmers have high rates of hearing loss, yet little is known about the hearing status of migrant agricultural workers. We performed a cross-sectional survey to assess the prevalence and impact of hearing loss in this population.METHODS: One hundred fifty migrant and seasonal agricultural workers were surveyed at a series of health fairs held at migrant camps. A bilingual questionnaire included items related to hearing loss risk factors and subjective hearing difficulties. Pure tone audiometry and tympanometry were performed in a mobile testing van.RESULTS: More than half the subjects had some degree of hearing loss at audiometric frequencies between 500 and 6,000 Hz, especially in the higher frequencies. Hispanic males in the sample had significantly greater prevalence of high-frequency hearing loss compared to adults in the national Hispanic Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (HHANES). More than 35% of respondents complained of subjective difficulty hearing or understanding speech, yet no workers reported use of hearing aids. 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 and abnormal tympanometry. Occupational exposures to noise from tractors and other machinery as well as pesticides were frequently reported, while use of hearing protection was rare.CONCLUSION: Hearing loss is a significant and under-recognized problem in the migrant worker population. Further preventive and treatment efforts are warranted.