Recreational firearm use and hearing loss.
Arch Fam Med
; 9(4): 352-7, 2000 Apr.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-10776364
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE:
To assess the relation between recreational firearm use and high-frequency hearing loss in a population of older adults.DESIGN:
Cross-sectional, population-based cohort study.SETTING:
The midwestern community of Beaver Dam, Wis.PARTICIPANTS:
A population-based sample of 3753 participants (83% of those eligible), aged 48 to 92 years, participated in the baseline phase of the Epidemiology of Hearing Loss Study. INTERVENTION None. MAIN OUTCOMEMEASURES:
Lifetime and past year self-reported firearm use during target shooting and hunting were assessed by interview. Hearing thresholds were measured by pure-tone audiometry.RESULTS:
After age and other factors were adjusted for, men (n = 1538) who had ever regularly engaged in target shooting (odds ratio, 1.57; 95% confidence interval, 1.12-2.19) or who had done so in the past year (odds ratio, 2.00; 95% confidence interval, 1.15-3.46) were more likely to have a marked high-frequency hearing loss than those who had not. Risk of having a marked high-frequency hearing loss increased 7% for every 5 years the men had hunted (odds ratio, 1.07; 95% confidence interval, 1.03-1.12). Thirty-eight percent of the target shooters and 95% of the hunters reported never wearing hearing protection while shooting in the past year.CONCLUSIONS:
These results indicate that use of recreational firearms is associated with marked high-frequency hearing loss in men. There is a need for further education of users of recreational firearms regarding the risk of hearing impairment associated with firearm use and the availability and importance of appropriate hearing protection.
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Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Armas de Fogo
/
Perda Auditiva de Alta Frequência
/
Perda Auditiva Provocada por Ruído
Tipo de estudo:
Etiology_studies
/
Incidence_studies
/
Observational_studies
/
Prevalence_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Limite:
Aged
/
Humans
/
Male
País/Região como assunto:
America do norte
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2000
Tipo de documento:
Article