Hearing impairment among workers and satisfaction with the use of hearing aids.

BACKGROUND: Hearing problems can have adverse effects on an individual's job performance, as well as on unemployment or underemployment and increased risk of stress-related sick leave. OBJECTIVE: To investigate hearing impairment among workers and satisfaction with the use of hearing aids. METHODS: Cross-sectional study with workers who are hearing aid users. Subjects underwent pure tone audiometry and answered the Hearing Handicap Inventory for Adults and the Satisfaction with Amplification in Daily Life questionnaires. RESULTS: Participants were 36 workers between 36 and 75 years old, with an average age of 53.47 years, 52.7% male and 47.3% female. There was a mild to moderate hearing handicap perception, with worse results for women in the emotional domain. As hearing loss increased, workers' frustration increased when talking to coworkers. Everyone was satisfied with the use of their hearing aids. Satisfaction increased with increasing age and decreased with increasing hearing loss. The greater the frustration when talking to co-workers, the lower the overall satisfaction with hearing aid use; the lower the satisfaction with the competence of the professional who assisted in adapting the hearing aid; the lower the satisfaction in environments with background noise and overall worse personal image. The worse the attitudes and emotional responses of workers regarding their hearing impairment, the lower the overall satisfaction with the hearing aid. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the use of hearing aids, workers perceive having a hearing impairment, especially women. As hearing loss and frustration in talking with co-workers increased, satisfaction decreased.

Oficinas educativas como estratégia de promoção da saúde auditiva do adolescente: estudo exploratório / Educational workshops as a strategy to promote hearing heath of adolescents: an exploratory study

OBJETIVO: Desenvolver e avaliar oficinas educativas sobre saúde auditiva e exposição a ruídos de adolescentes escolares da rede pública de ensino médio. MÉTODOS: Estudo de intervenção, com a participação de 91 adolescentes. Foi realizada ação educativa, tendo como base a pedagogia problematizadora e, como recurso metodológico, o trabalho em grupo na forma de oficinas, nas quais os jovens foram convidados a refletir sobre a saúde auditiva e exposição a ruídos nas atividades culturais (lazer), escolares e ambientais. Foram utilizadas diferentes estratégias lúdicas e dialógicas, como teatro, música, roda de conversa, confecção de mural. Para avaliação das oficinas foram aplicados dois questionários: um questionário antes e outro depois das oficinas, visando identificar a mudança na compreensão dos jovens frente ao ruído, e outro sobre a dinâmica das oficinas. RESULTADOS: Após as oficinas, foram observadas mudanças na compreensão dos jovens, que passaram a considerar o ruído como algo ruim e danoso à saúde. Diferença significativa foi observada com relação aos cuidados necessários com a audição nas atividades culturais. A percepção dos alunos relacionada à dinâmica utilizada nas oficinas foi muito boa ou boa em mais de 80% das avaliações. CONCLUSÃO: As oficinas educativas demonstraram-se apropriadas para educação em saúde auditiva de escolares. Foram observadas mudanças na compreensão dos jovens, sobretudo quanto ao efeito do ruído nas atividades culturais. As estratégias lúdicas e dialógicas propostas nas oficinas foram aceitas e apreciadas pelos adolescentes.

PURPOSE: Develop and evaluate educational workshop on hearing health and noise exposure adolescents, students of public school. METHODS: Intervention study involving 91 adolescents. Educational activity was conduce based on the problem-posing education and as a methodological resource group work in the form of workshops in which young people were invited to reflect on the hearing health and noise exposure in cultural activities (leisure),and environmental education. Was used differents strategies playful and dialogical as: theater, music, conversation wheel, making mural. For evaluation of the workshop were applied two questionnaires, one questionnaire before and another after the workshop aimed at identifying and understandingc an change attitudes of young people against the noise, and the other on the development of the workshop. RESULTS: After the workshops, was observed changes in the understanding of young people, considering the noise as something bad and harmfulto health, however significant differences were observed, the necessary care with hearing related to cultural activities. The students' perceptions related to the dynamics used in the workshops was very good or goodby more than 80% of the evaluations. CONCLUSION: The educational workshops showed to be appropriate for health education of hearing students. Changes were observed in the understanding of teenagers, especially the effect of noise on cultural activities. The playful and dialogical strategies proposed in the workshop were accepted and appreciated by adolescents.