Purpose
: to investigate the prevalence of hearing loss and audiometric characteristics of urban bus drivers.
Methods
: the sample was comprised of 122 bus drivers from the city of Curitiba (PR, Brazil), with an age mean of 36.1 years. The audiometric tests were performed during one year, between 2010 and 2011, according to the Resolution number 19 of the Ministry of Labour (1998).
Results
: 31.15% of the drivers had hearing problems detected by the method used, and 24.59% of the participants had results suggestive of noise-induced hearing loss. The most affected frequency was 6000 Hz without being one ear more affected than the other one.
Conclusion
: the results of this study were compared with results of previous studies carried out in the same city, and it was observed that the preventive measures for hearing health had shown favorable results.
Hearing Loss; Noise, Occupational Noise exposure, Transportation; Audiometry
