Department of Population Health Sciences, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI 53726, USA.
Prev Med. 2011 Oct;53(4-5):338-42. doi: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2011.08.012. Epub 2011 Aug 17.
To identify factors contributing to the declining prevalence of hearing impairment in more recent generations.
We used data on hearing thresholds and potential risk factors of hearing impairment collected from studies in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, the Epidemiology of Hearing Loss Study (1993-1995, n=3753; 1998-2000, n=2800 and 2003-2005, n=2395), the concurrent Beaver Dam Eye Study on the same cohort, and a subgroup (n=2173) of the Beaver Dam Offspring Study (2005-2008).
Educational attainment significantly reduced the odds ratio (OR) of the birth cohort effect on hearing impairment from 0.90 to 0.93, while a history of ear infection had a reverse effect on the decreasing trend (significantly changing the OR from 0.93 to 0.94). Occupational noise exposure, smoking, and a history of cardiovascular disease, while associated with hearing impairment, did not attenuate the cohort effect. The cohort effect remained significant after known risk factors were adjusted (OR=0.93; 95% confidence interval, 0.89-0.97).
These data provide strong evidence that environmental, lifestyle, or other modifiable factors contribute to the etiology of hearing impairment and add support to the idea that hearing impairment in adults may be prevented or delayed.
确定导致听力障碍在最近几代人中患病率下降的因素。
我们使用了在威斯康星州比弗大坝进行的研究中收集的听力阈值和听力障碍潜在风险因素的数据，这些研究包括：比弗大坝听力损失研究（1993-1995 年，n=3753；1998-2000 年，n=2800 年和 2003-2005 年，n=2395）、同期比弗大坝眼部研究以及比弗大坝后代研究的一个亚组（n=2173）（2005-2008 年）。
教育程度显著降低了听力障碍出生队列效应的优势比（OR），从 0.90 降至 0.93，而耳部感染史对下降趋势有相反的影响（显著改变 OR 从 0.93 变为 0.94）。职业性噪声暴露、吸烟和心血管疾病史虽然与听力障碍有关，但并没有减弱队列效应。在调整已知风险因素后，队列效应仍然显著（OR=0.93；95%置信区间，0.89-0.97）。
这些数据提供了强有力的证据，表明环境、生活方式或其他可改变的因素促成了听力障碍的病因，并为成年人听力障碍可能得到预防或延缓的观点提供了支持。
