Prevalence of Noise-Induced Hearing Loss Among Construction Workers in Puducherry, India

Abstract

Introduction Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is one of the emerging health problems in today's world. NIHL results from multifactorial damage to auditory structures due to exposure to loud sounds from occupational, environmental, or recreational causes. The World Health Organisation (WHO) indicates that workplace NIHL is second to accidental harm for years of healthy life lost. It causes significant impairment in patients' daily activities and quality of life. Aim This study aimed to find the prevalence of NIHL among construction site workers in Puducherry, a southern state of India, and to find the association between the degree of hearing loss and various demographic factors. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted among construction workers in a tertiary care center in Puducherry. The study was conducted for 18 months, from January 2021 to June 2022. After the initial assessment, all the workers were subjected to pure tone audiometry, and findings were recorded. Results A total of 500 construction site workers participated in the study. The prevalence of the NIHL was found to be 13.2%. The study also showed that the majority of the patients (6.6%) had a mild-degree hearing loss. The study also showed a significant association exist between age (p = 0.002), gender (p = 0.001), work experience (p < 0.001), and the number of hours of work per day (p < 0.001) with the degree of hearing loss. Conclusion The prevalence of NIHL is growing day by day, so proper preventive measures should be taken by enhancing knowledge of the disease, adopting protective tactics, and creating therapies to prevent the disease.