Noise Exposure and Hearing Loss: Data from U.S. Health Surveys

Details

• Personal Author:
  Hoffman HJ ; Krieg, Edward Jr. ; Themann, Christa L.
• Description:
  Although exposure to hazardous noise is generally considered the major cause of preventable hearing loss among adults, the U.S. does not have a measurement-based surveillance system to track noise exposure. However, several national health survey systems collect self-reported noise exposure information as well as self-rated and/or audiometrically-measured hearing data from nationally-representative samples of U.S. adults. The National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) and the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) collect data describing exposure to loud workplace noise, very loud workplace noise, non-work noise, and firearm noise. Both surveys also collect data on self-reported hearing impairment, tinnitus, frequency of hearing protector use, and audiometric monitoring. In addition, NHANES conducts pure-tone air-conduction audiometry. Data from these surveys allow calculation of the prevalence of various types of noise exposure and permit examination of how these types and combinations of exposure are related to hearing loss and tinnitus. In the absence of a dedicated noise surveillance system, NHIS and NHANES provide a snapshot of the noise exposure problem in the U.S. and highlight the most significant hearing-related public health needs. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Hearing Hearing Loss Hearing Loss, Noise-Induced Noise Noise, Occupational Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Audiometry Hearing Impairment Hearing Loss Hearing Protection Noise Exposure Surveillance Tinnitus
• ISSN:
  1083-7388
• Publisher:
  National Hearing Conservation Association
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Newsletter ; Lay Publication
• Place as Subject:
  Maryland ; Ohio ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DFSE - Division of Field Studies and Engineering
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  20-25
• Volume:
  37
• Issue:
  1
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20060630
• Citation:
  Spectrum 2020 May; 37(1):20-25
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2020
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Source Full Name:
  Spectrum: the National Hearing Conservation Association newsletter
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:070d86a06f30183bc55d4e5e2eecb7b52d418a9406fb3508430794c299bc30abbe1f0919318d82e46ad47a1247f3149ea9be2a703a70796ee4bc2374ad39f0a1
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/224482/cdc_224482_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 2.05 MB ]