Karlovich R S, Wiley T L, Tweed T, Jensen D V
Department of Communicative Disorders, University of Wisconsin-Madison 53711.
Public Health Rep. 1988 Jan-Feb;103(1):61-71.
Hearing sensitivity was measured for tones from 1,000 through 8,000 hertz (Hz) in 534 males and 278 females who resided in rural Wisconsin and ranged in age from 16 to 85 years. The hearing sensitivity for all subjects decreased with advancing age and at higher frequencies, but hearing loss over the range most susceptible to excessive noise exposure (3,000-6,000 Hz) was much greater for males than for females at all ages. The hearing loss was greater than could be accounted for by age and was similar whether the subject was a farmer or not. The results suggested that approximately 25 percent of the males had a communication handicap due to hearing loss by age 30, and the proportion rose to 50 percent by age 50. Less than 20 percent of farmers reported consistent use of personal hearing protection in their farm-related duties. Overall, the findings suggest that men who live in rural areas, including farmers, demonstrate a high prevalence of hearing loss and associated communication problems due to excessive noise exposure. This, in turn, clearly indicates a need for intensification of educational hearing conservation programs for the rural population.
对居住在威斯康星州农村、年龄在16至85岁之间的534名男性和278名女性，测量了其在1000至8000赫兹（Hz）频率范围内的听力敏感度。所有受试者的听力敏感度均随年龄增长和频率升高而下降，但在所有年龄段，在最易受过度噪声暴露影响的频率范围（3000 - 6000 Hz）内，男性的听力损失比女性大得多。听力损失大于仅由年龄导致的程度，且无论受试者是否为农民，情况均相似。结果表明，到30岁时，约25%的男性因听力损失存在沟通障碍，到50岁时这一比例升至50%。不到20%的农民报告在其与农场相关的工作中持续使用个人听力保护设备。总体而言，研究结果表明，居住在农村地区的男性，包括农民，由于过度噪声暴露，听力损失及相关沟通问题的患病率很高。这反过来清楚地表明，需要加强针对农村人口的听力保护教育项目。
