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Noise Exposure in Palestinian Workers Without a Diagnosis of Hearing Impairment: Relations to Speech-Perception-in-Noise Difficulties, Tinnitus, and Hyperacusis

PURPOSE: Many workers in developing countries are exposed to unsafe occupational noise due to inadequate health and safety practices. We tested the hypotheses that occupational noise exposure and aging affect speech-perception-in-noise (SPiN) thresholds, self-reported hearing ability, tinnitus prese...

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Autores principales: Shehabi, Adnan M., Prendergast, Garreth, Guest, Hannah, Plack, Christopher J.
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association 2023
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10205103/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/36802819
http://dx.doi.org/10.1044/2022_JSLHR-22-00461
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author Shehabi, Adnan M.
Prendergast, Garreth
Guest, Hannah
Plack, Christopher J.
author_facet Shehabi, Adnan M.
Prendergast, Garreth
Guest, Hannah
Plack, Christopher J.
author_sort Shehabi, Adnan M.
collection PubMed
description PURPOSE: Many workers in developing countries are exposed to unsafe occupational noise due to inadequate health and safety practices. We tested the hypotheses that occupational noise exposure and aging affect speech-perception-in-noise (SPiN) thresholds, self-reported hearing ability, tinnitus presence, and hyperacusis severity among Palestinian workers. METHOD: Palestinian workers (N = 251, aged 18–70 years) without diagnosed hearing or memory impairments completed online instruments including a noise exposure questionnaire; forward and backward digit span tests; hyperacusis questionnaire; the short-form Speech, Spatial and Qualities of Hearing Scale (SSQ12); the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory; and a digits-in-noise (DIN) test. Hypotheses were tested via multiple linear and logistic regression models, including age and occupational noise exposure as predictors, and with sex, recreational noise exposure, cognitive ability, and academic attainment as covariates. Familywise error rate was controlled across all 16 comparisons using the Bonferroni–Holm method. Exploratory analyses evaluated effects on tinnitus handicap. A comprehensive study protocol was preregistered. RESULTS: Nonsignificant trends of poorer SPiN performance, poorer self-reported hearing ability, greater prevalence of tinnitus, greater tinnitus handicap, and greater severity of hyperacusis as a function of higher occupational noise exposure were observed. Greater hyperacusis severity was significantly predicted by higher occupational noise exposure. Aging was significantly associated with higher DIN thresholds and lower SSQ12 scores, but not with tinnitus presence, tinnitus handicap, or hyperacusis severity. CONCLUSIONS: Workers in Palestine may suffer from auditory effects of occupational noise and aging despite no formal diagnosis. These findings highlight the importance of occupational noise monitoring and hearing-related health and safety practices in developing countries. SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.22056701
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spelling pubmed-102051032023-05-24 Noise Exposure in Palestinian Workers Without a Diagnosis of Hearing Impairment: Relations to Speech-Perception-in-Noise Difficulties, Tinnitus, and Hyperacusis Shehabi, Adnan M. Prendergast, Garreth Guest, Hannah Plack, Christopher J. J Speech Lang Hear Res Hearing PURPOSE: Many workers in developing countries are exposed to unsafe occupational noise due to inadequate health and safety practices. We tested the hypotheses that occupational noise exposure and aging affect speech-perception-in-noise (SPiN) thresholds, self-reported hearing ability, tinnitus presence, and hyperacusis severity among Palestinian workers. METHOD: Palestinian workers (N = 251, aged 18–70 years) without diagnosed hearing or memory impairments completed online instruments including a noise exposure questionnaire; forward and backward digit span tests; hyperacusis questionnaire; the short-form Speech, Spatial and Qualities of Hearing Scale (SSQ12); the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory; and a digits-in-noise (DIN) test. Hypotheses were tested via multiple linear and logistic regression models, including age and occupational noise exposure as predictors, and with sex, recreational noise exposure, cognitive ability, and academic attainment as covariates. Familywise error rate was controlled across all 16 comparisons using the Bonferroni–Holm method. Exploratory analyses evaluated effects on tinnitus handicap. A comprehensive study protocol was preregistered. RESULTS: Nonsignificant trends of poorer SPiN performance, poorer self-reported hearing ability, greater prevalence of tinnitus, greater tinnitus handicap, and greater severity of hyperacusis as a function of higher occupational noise exposure were observed. Greater hyperacusis severity was significantly predicted by higher occupational noise exposure. Aging was significantly associated with higher DIN thresholds and lower SSQ12 scores, but not with tinnitus presence, tinnitus handicap, or hyperacusis severity. CONCLUSIONS: Workers in Palestine may suffer from auditory effects of occupational noise and aging despite no formal diagnosis. These findings highlight the importance of occupational noise monitoring and hearing-related health and safety practices in developing countries. SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.22056701 American Speech-Language-Hearing Association 2023-03 2023-02-20 /pmc/articles/PMC10205103/ /pubmed/36802819 http://dx.doi.org/10.1044/2022_JSLHR-22-00461 Text en Copyright © 2023 The Authors https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) .
spellingShingle Hearing
Shehabi, Adnan M.
Prendergast, Garreth
Guest, Hannah
Plack, Christopher J.
Noise Exposure in Palestinian Workers Without a Diagnosis of Hearing Impairment: Relations to Speech-Perception-in-Noise Difficulties, Tinnitus, and Hyperacusis
title Noise Exposure in Palestinian Workers Without a Diagnosis of Hearing Impairment: Relations to Speech-Perception-in-Noise Difficulties, Tinnitus, and Hyperacusis
title_full Noise Exposure in Palestinian Workers Without a Diagnosis of Hearing Impairment: Relations to Speech-Perception-in-Noise Difficulties, Tinnitus, and Hyperacusis
title_fullStr Noise Exposure in Palestinian Workers Without a Diagnosis of Hearing Impairment: Relations to Speech-Perception-in-Noise Difficulties, Tinnitus, and Hyperacusis
title_full_unstemmed Noise Exposure in Palestinian Workers Without a Diagnosis of Hearing Impairment: Relations to Speech-Perception-in-Noise Difficulties, Tinnitus, and Hyperacusis
title_short Noise Exposure in Palestinian Workers Without a Diagnosis of Hearing Impairment: Relations to Speech-Perception-in-Noise Difficulties, Tinnitus, and Hyperacusis
title_sort noise exposure in palestinian workers without a diagnosis of hearing impairment: relations to speech-perception-in-noise difficulties, tinnitus, and hyperacusis
topic Hearing
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10205103/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/36802819
http://dx.doi.org/10.1044/2022_JSLHR-22-00461
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