Ann Arbor--Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is one of the most common maladies among workers, particularly farmers, but a new study from the University of Michigan School of Nursing (UMSN) shows promising opportunities for prevention.
Farm operators are considered a high-risk and underserved worker group. They are often exposed to hazardous noise from equipment and livestock, yet few are protected by labor advocacy and hearing conservation programs. Unlike many workers, farmers are generally responsible for their own safety including hearing protection.
There is new evidence that when given the tools and knowledge to protect their hearing, farmers will use them to effectively prevent hearing loss. Marjorie McCullagh, UMSN associate professor and director of U-M’s Occupational Health Nursing Program, and colleagues tested the effectiveness of three interventions designed to promote hearing protector use with nearly 500 farmers. This study represents, to the researchers’ knowledge, the first randomly-controlled trial promoting hearing protector use among this high-risk population.
The interventions included:
interactive Web-based information (activities, sound level meter with common farm noise, tips for purchasing hearing protectors)
static Web-based information (online brochures)
hearing protectors physically mailed to the farmers (sample of assorted styles with manufacturers’ standard written instructions)
Dr. McCullagh found that all three methods demonstrated effectiveness, with the mailed hearing protectors showing the most significant increase. Dr. McCullagh suggests these findings support making hearing protectors and information about their use more available to farmers.
Research in this release was supported by the National Institute for Deafness and Communication Disorders, National Institutes of Health (grant no. R01-DC010827) The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH.
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