TY - JOUR
T1 - The relationship between hearing status, listening effort, and the need for recovery in employees of a manufacturing company
AU - van der Hoek-Snieders, Hanneke E. M.
AU - de Laat, Jan A. P. M.
AU - Dreschler, Wouter A.
N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2023, The Author(s).
PY - 2023/9
Y1 - 2023/9
N2 - Objective: Hearing screening can be used to detect hearing loss, but its value for identifying employees with work functioning difficulties is unclear. The objective of this study was to assess the association between the hearing status measured with an occupational hearing-in-noise screening test, Listening Effort (LE), and Need For Recovery (NFR) in employees of a manufacturing company, and to examine whether these associations depend on the perceived noise level at the workplace. Methods: Employees of coatings and paints manufacturing company were included. Their hearing status was assessed with an occupational hearing-in-noise screening test. An online survey was used to assess their LE, NFR, and the perceived noise level at the workplace. Responses from 143 employees were analyzed (mean age = 53 years) using hierarchical multiple regression analysis with the outcomes LE and NFR. Results: Regression analysis—with adjustments for gender, age, educational level, health status, pace/amount of work, job variety, and work pleasure—revealed that hearing status was significantly associated with LE, but the interaction between hearing status and the perceived noise level was not. Hearing status nor the interaction between hearing status and the perceived noise level was significantly associated with NFR. Conclusion: The results confirm that poorer hearing is associated with higher LE, but not with higher NFR. These associations were unrelated to the perceived noise level at the workplace. Therefore, the value of occupational hearing screening appears to be early identification of hearing loss in employees, but not identification of work functioning difficulties.
AB - Objective: Hearing screening can be used to detect hearing loss, but its value for identifying employees with work functioning difficulties is unclear. The objective of this study was to assess the association between the hearing status measured with an occupational hearing-in-noise screening test, Listening Effort (LE), and Need For Recovery (NFR) in employees of a manufacturing company, and to examine whether these associations depend on the perceived noise level at the workplace. Methods: Employees of coatings and paints manufacturing company were included. Their hearing status was assessed with an occupational hearing-in-noise screening test. An online survey was used to assess their LE, NFR, and the perceived noise level at the workplace. Responses from 143 employees were analyzed (mean age = 53 years) using hierarchical multiple regression analysis with the outcomes LE and NFR. Results: Regression analysis—with adjustments for gender, age, educational level, health status, pace/amount of work, job variety, and work pleasure—revealed that hearing status was significantly associated with LE, but the interaction between hearing status and the perceived noise level was not. Hearing status nor the interaction between hearing status and the perceived noise level was significantly associated with NFR. Conclusion: The results confirm that poorer hearing is associated with higher LE, but not with higher NFR. These associations were unrelated to the perceived noise level at the workplace. Therefore, the value of occupational hearing screening appears to be early identification of hearing loss in employees, but not identification of work functioning difficulties.
KW - Fatigue
KW - Hearing
KW - Screening
KW - Work
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85149802892&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00405-023-07898-x
DO - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00405-023-07898-x
M3 - Article
C2 - 36856807
SN - 0937-4477
VL - 280
SP - 4019
EP - 4025
JO - European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS)
JF - European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS)
IS - 9
ER -