Department of ENT/Audiology, EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Ear Hear. 2012 Jan-Feb;33(1):94-103. doi: 10.1097/AUD.0b013e318228033e.
Reduced hearing ability has been shown to influence various aspects of daily life, such as communication, psychosocial functioning, and working life. The aim of this study is to examine the association between hearing ability in noise and both sick leave and self-reported work productivity. In addition, the relationship between hearing ability and perceived health-caused limitations at work is examined.
Data were collected at the baseline measurement of the Dutch "National Longitudinal Study on Hearing" and at each month during a subsequent period of 3 mo. Hearing ability was determined by means of the National Hearing Test, a speech-in-noise test over the Internet using digit triplets. The sample comprised 748 workers (385 with normal hearing ability and 363 with insufficient or poor hearing ability).
Linear regression analyses revealed a significant adverse association between reduced hearing ability and self-reported absolute and differential productivity; for every dB signal-to-noise ratio (dB SNR) poorer hearing ability, self-rated absolute productivity for people experiencing little social support decreased by 0.054 points on a scale from 0 to 10 (b = -0.054; 95% confidence interval [CI] = -0.088 to -0.02). For people with less than three other chronic conditions, self-rated differential productivity also decreased significantly with decreasing hearing ability (no chronic conditions: b = -0.048 points/dB SNR on a scale from -10 to + 10, 95% CI = -0.094 to -0.001; one or two other chronic conditions: b = -0.035 points/dB SNR, 95% CI = -0.067 to -0.002). With adjustment for confounders, poorer hearing ability in noise furthermore significantly increased the odds for experiencing limitations (in the type or amount of work one could do) sometimes (odds ratio = 1.14; 95% CI = 1.07-1.21) and often to very often (odds ratio = 1.24; 95% CI = 1.05-1.45) in comparison with experiencing limitation seldom to never. A higher level of need for recovery among people with poorer hearing ability appeared to be one of the factors mediating the higher odds for sick leave of more than 5 days.
Reduced hearing ability in noise was significantly associated with a lower self-reported absolute and differential productivity in specific cases. Also, poorer hearing increased the odds for experiencing health-caused limitations in the type or amount of work one can do. The significant relationship between hearing ability and sick leave, which was found when not adjusting for confounders, could partly be explained by a higher need for recovery among people with reduced hearing ability in noise.
有研究表明，听力下降会对日常生活的多个方面造成影响，如沟通、社会心理功能和工作生活。本研究旨在调查噪声环境下的听力能力与病假和自我报告的工作生产力之间的关联。此外，还研究了听力能力与工作中因健康问题导致的受限程度之间的关系。
数据采集于荷兰“全国听力纵向研究”的基线测量时和随后 3 个月的每月测量时。听力能力通过国家听力测试来确定，这是一种通过互联网使用数字三胞胎进行的噪声下言语测试。样本包括 748 名工人（385 名听力正常，363 名听力不足或较差）。
线性回归分析显示，听力下降与自我报告的绝对和差异生产力之间存在显著的不利关联；对于每 1dB 信号噪声比（dB SNR）较差的听力能力，在 0 到 10 的量表上，自评的绝对生产力对于那些社交支持较少的人而言，会降低 0.054 分（b=-0.054；95%置信区间[CI]为-0.088 至-0.02）。对于那些慢性疾病少于三种的人来说，随着听力能力的下降，自我评估的差异生产力也显著下降（无慢性疾病：在-10 到+10 的量表上，b=-0.048 分/dB SNR，95%CI=-0.094 至-0.001；一种或两种其他慢性疾病：b=-0.035 分/dB SNR，95%CI=-0.067 至-0.002）。在调整混杂因素后，噪声环境下较差的听力能力还显著增加了出现限制（在工作类型或工作量方面）的可能性，有时（比值比=1.14；95%CI=1.07-1.21）和经常到非常经常（比值比=1.24；95%CI=1.05-1.45），而不是很少或从不出现限制。听力较差的人需要更多的恢复，这似乎是导致病假超过 5 天的可能性增加的一个因素。
噪声环境下的听力下降与特定情况下的自我报告的绝对和差异生产力显著降低有关。此外，较差的听力增加了因健康问题导致的工作类型或工作量受限的可能性。在未调整混杂因素时发现的听力能力与病假之间的显著关系，可以部分解释为噪声环境下听力下降的人需要更多的恢复。
