Preliminary evidence indicates that Hispanics, one of the fastest growing segments of the U.S. workforce, are a special population at risk for occupational hearing loss. Hearing loss can have a devastating effect on the Hispanic worker due to language and cultural barriers. There is a critical need for better understanding of the extent of Hispanic noise-induced hearing loss, factors affecting Hispanics' use of hearing protection, the possible role of biomechanical susceptibility in this population, and the impact of hearing impairment on the Hispanic worker. This pilot study of 125 Hispanic and non-Hispanic workers will explore, through a cross-sectional study of hearing acuity and threshold shifts, ethnic differences in hearing status, noise exposures, use of hearing protection, blood levels of antioxidants, and glucose tolerance. It will characterize the impact of noise-induced hearing loss in Hispanics to set the stage for larger studies and improved intervention trials. The study will use a culturally sensitive, bilingual questionnaire and both traditional audiometry and newer hearing assessment technology (distortion product otoacoustic emissions) to test the hypotheses that: Hispanics are a population at special risk for noise-induced hearing loss partly due to disproportionate noise exposure; language and cultural barriers make Hispanics less likely to wear hearing protective devices; Vitamin C and Vitamin E deficiency and impaired glucose tolerance predispose Hispanics to noise-induced hearing loss; and the impact of hearing impairment is magnified in Hispanics due to language/cultural issues.
