Evaluation of a Hearing Conservation Program for Farm Youth: A 15-Year Follow-Up

Details

• Personal Author:
  Berg RL ; Kirkhorn SR ; Marlenga B ; Pickett W ; Wood DJ
• Description:
  Background: Agriculture is an industry with among the highest recorded exposures to dangerous levels of noise. Studies have demonstrated an increased prevalence of noise-induced hearing loss among youth who were actively involved in farm work. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) mandates hearing conservation programs in industries where noise levels equal or exceed 85 decibels averaged over eight working hours. However, most agricultural worksites are exempt from OSHA regulations, so alternative strategies to promote hearing conservation among farm youth must be identified and evaluated. Purpose: We had the rare opportunity to conduct a cluster randomized controlled trial to observe the long-term (16 year) effects of a well-designed hearing conservation intervention for high school students working in agriculture. This trial assessed whether the intervention resulted in: 1) a reduced prevalence of noise-induced hearing loss assessed clinically; and/or 2) sustained use of hearing protection devices. Methods: In 1992-96, 34 rural Wisconsin schools were recruited and 17 were randomized to receive a comprehensive 3-year hearing conservation intervention. In 2009-10, extensive efforts were made to find and contact all students who completed this original trial. Participants in the 16-year follow-up completed an exposure history questionnaire and a clinical audiometric examination. Rates of noise-induced hearing loss and reported use of hearing protection were compared. Results: We recruited 392 participants from the original trial, 200 (53%) from the intervention group, and 192 (51%) from the control group. Among participants with exposure to agricultural noise, the intervention group reported significantly higher use of hearing protection compared with controls (25.9% vs. 19.6%; P=0.015), although the use of hearing protection was still quite low. The intervention group also reported significantly higher use of hearing protection when shooting guns (56.2% vs. 41.6%; P=0.029), but similar use of hearing protection in all other contexts. There was no significant difference between groups with respect to objective measures of noise-induced hearing loss. Conclusion: This novel trial provides objective evidence that a comprehensive educational intervention by itself may be of limited effectiveness in preventing noise-induced hearing loss among young workers. There is a need for creative solutions to protect young people from major sources of noise in both occupational and recreational settings. Potential solutions should focus on environmental modifications and regulations to control noise emissions, because educational solutions on their own may fail to protection many young workers from noise-induced hearing loss. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Agriculture Cohort Studies Education Health Promotion Hearing Hearing Loss Hearing Loss, Noise-Induced Noise Noise, Occupational Occupational Health Safety

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• Keywords:
  Agricultural Workers Cohort Studies Health Promotion Hearing Loss Prevention Hearing Protection Intervention Effectiveness Noise Exposure Noise Induced Hearing Loss Noise Protection Young Workers
• Series:
  Grant Final Reports
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Final Grant Report
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 5 ; Wisconsin
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  OEP - Office of Extramural Programs
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-13
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20053045
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB2019-100187
• Citation:
  Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, R01-OH-009392, 2012 Oct; :1-13
• Contact Point Address:
  Barbara Marlenga, Ph.D., Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation, National Farm Medicine Center, 1000 North Oak Avenue, Marshfield, WI 54449
• Email:
  marlenga.barbara@mcrf.mfldclin.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2013
• NORA Priority Area:
  Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing
• Performing Organization:
  Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20080801
• Source Full Name:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• End Date:
  20120731
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:7a2e3ca6ad3eb8e346a411078c38c336e979279498ded71671a785c75b3f86728a100f3f45f615c7ec0f4b3fc7b9de6ce2ed4132a8bbf33172cd9abd6779d5fd
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/218743/cdc_218743_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 2.32 MB ]