Hearing Protection Use in an Urban Population: Preliminary Data

Purpose: Noise induced hearing loss (NIHL) is the most common health problem in industrial societies. While occupational exposure to excessive noise is the most common risk factor, high rates of noise induced hearing loss continue, even though occupational standards have been in place for decades. Poor compliance with use of personal hearing protection (PHP) has been considered as one of the reasons for the high prevalence and incidence of NIHL, but increasingly, researchers are considering the relative contribution of other sources of excessive noise exposure, such as mass transit ridership and recreational sources of noise. This study was designed to assess risk of exposure from these sources of noise and to determine frequency of PHP use.

Method: A four-page survey was administered to a representative community sample.

Results: A small proportion (13%) of respondents worked in high-noise occupations (e.g., construction, farming, mining); of these, 1/3 reported consistent use of hearing protection at work. With respect to leisure-type activities, 5% reported frequently participating in four or more noisy activities, and only 3% reported frequent use of PHP during these activities. More than 75% of the sample reported subway ridership, with average length of weekday rides 111 minutes; less than 4% reported PHP use.

Conclusions: Low rates of PHP use at work and very low rates for other activities were reported. These sources of noise could result in NIHL, given sufficient exposure. Efforts to increase PHP use will likely have beneficial impacts on the hearing health on urban populations in the US.