Population-based age adjustment tables for use in occupational hearing conservation programs. (31st January 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Flamme, Gregory A.; Deiters, Kristy K.; Stephenson, Mark R.; Themann, Christa L.; Murphy, William J.; Byrne, David C.; Goldfarb, David G.; Zeig-Owens, Rachel; Hall, Charles; Prezant, David J.; Cone, James E.
• Is Part Of: International journal of audiology. Volume 59(2020)Supplement 1
• Page Start: S20
• Page End: S30
• Publication Date: 2020-01-31
• Subjects: Hearing conservation/hearing loss prevention -- aging -- noise -- demographics/epidemiology; Audiology -- Periodicals; Hearing disorders -- Periodicals; Deafness -- Prevention -- Periodicals; Hearing Disorders -- Periodicals; Hearing -- Periodicals; 617.8
• DOI: 10.1080/14992027.2019.1698068
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1499-2027

Abstract

Abstract: Objective: In occupational hearing conservation programmes, age adjustments may be used to subtract expected age effects. Adjustments used in the U.S. came from a small dataset and overlooked important demographic factors, ages, and stimulus frequencies. The present study derived a set of population-based age adjustment tables and validated them using a database of exposed workers. Design: Cross-sectional population-based study and retrospective longitudinal cohort study for validation. Study sample: Data from the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (unweighted n = 9937) were used to produce these tables. Male firefighters and emergency medical service workers (76, 195 audiograms) were used for validation. Results: Cross-sectional trends implied less change with age than assumed in current U.S. regulations. Different trends were observed among people identifying with non-Hispanic Black race/ethnicity. Four age adjustment tables (age range: 18–85) were developed (women or men; non-Hispanic Black or other race/ethnicity). Validation outcomes showed that the population-based tables matched median longitudinal changes in hearing sensitivity well. Conclusions: These population-based tables provide a suitable replacement for those implemented in current U.S. regulations. These tables address a broader range of worker ages, account for differences in hearing sensitivity across race/ethnicity categories, and have been validated for men using longitudinal data.