Nabelek A K, Tucker F M, Letowski T R
Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
J Speech Hear Res. 1991 Jun;34(3):679-85.
One of the frequently quoted reasons for the rejection of hearing aids is amplification of background noise. The relationship between hearing aid use and toleration of background noise was assessed. Four groups of elderly subjects (at least 65 years old) and one group of young subjects with normal hearing participated in the study. Each group consisted of 15 subjects. The young subjects and elderly subjects in one group with relatively good hearing were tested for comparison with the hearing-impaired subjects. Elderly subjects in the three remaining groups had acquired hearing losses and had been fitted with hearing aids. The subjects were assigned to three groups on the basis of hearing aid use: full-time users, part-time users, and nonusers. The amount of background noise tolerated when listening to speech was tested. The speech stimulus was a story read by a woman and set at an individually chosen most comfortable level. The maskers were a babble of voices, speech-spectrum noise, traffic noise, music, and the noise of a pneumatic drill. There was a significant interaction between groups and noises. The full-time users tolerated significantly higher levels of music and speech-spectrum noise than part-time users and nonusers. In addition, the full-time users, but not the part-time users, assessed themselves as less handicapped in everyday functions when they wore hearing aids than when they did not wear their hearing aids.
拒绝使用助听器的一个经常被提及的原因是背景噪声的放大。评估了助听器使用与背景噪声耐受性之间的关系。四组老年受试者（至少65岁）和一组听力正常的年轻受试者参与了该研究。每组由15名受试者组成。将一组听力相对较好的年轻受试者和老年受试者与听力受损受试者进行比较测试。其余三组老年受试者有听力损失并已佩戴助听器。根据助听器使用情况将受试者分为三组：全职使用者、兼职使用者和非使用者。测试了听语音时能耐受的背景噪声量。语音刺激是一名女性朗读的故事，设置在个人选择的最舒适水平。掩蔽音是嘈杂的人声、语音频谱噪声、交通噪声、音乐和气动钻的噪声。组与噪声之间存在显著的交互作用。全职使用者比兼职使用者和非使用者能耐受显著更高水平的音乐和语音频谱噪声。此外，全职使用者（而非兼职使用者）在佩戴助听器时比不佩戴助听器时自我评估在日常功能中的障碍更小。
