Factors Related to Preventive Behaviors of Hearing Loss among Stone Mortar Workers, Phayao Province

Abstract

Occupational noise exposure can cause health problems and hearing loss, especially during the noisy working process of stone mortar production. This cross-sectional research was to study factors related to preventive behaviors of hearing loss among stone mortar workers in Phayao Province. Forty-one subjects were interviewed by a questionnaire. The data were analyzed by descriptive statistics and analyzed population characteristics, noise perception with noise preventive behaviors by Chi-square test and Fisher's Exact test. The findings show that 7.3% of stone mortar workers had a hearing impairment, 53.7% did not use hearing protective devices, but 41.5% had usage of putting button in the ears.   The perception of noise was moderate level (78.0%). There were significant differences between types of personal protection devices and noise preventive behaviors (p<0.01). There were no significant differences between perceived noise levels and preventive behaviors (p<0.01). In conclusion, selecting hearing protective devices with adequate noise reduction can help to reduce noise exposure in the workplace. Moreover, the devices can be useful for preventing hearing loss. Therefore, it is very important to have control of the noise sources or provide a hearing loss prevention program and promote the use of suitable hearing protective devices for better health and quality of life.