Factors Influencing Farmers' HPD Use.

摘要

Occupational Health and Safety Issue Addressed: Use of hearing protection among farmers in the upper Midwest. Importance of the Problem: Farmers are exposed to hazardous noise from equipment and livestock and experience high rates of noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL), but their use of hearing protection devices (HPDs) is low Approach: Telephone surveys of factors influencing predictors of hearing protector use were conducted with a disproportionate probability sample of farmers randomly selected from census lists from a four-state region in the upper Midwest. To describe farmers' personal experiences in using hearing protection, face-to-face interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of farmers who reported high frequency of use of HPDs. Key Findings: Farmers overall demonstrated low (27%) hearing protector use when exposed to hazardous noise. Factors found to negatively influence use included barriers, inconvenience, and female gender. Farmers who were frequent users of HPDs were motivated to use protection by a desire for good hearing, as well as a way to avoid problems associated with noise exposure and NIHL. Many (although not all) had attempted to influence other farmers' use of hearing protection, especially family members. Most had developed methods to overcome problems with access and barriers to HPD use that other farmers frequently reported. How Results Will Be Used: Findings from this study will be useful in the design of interventions to promote HPD use among farmers and reduce the level of NIHL among this high-risk and underserved worker group.