Self-perception of hearing disorders, habits, and hearing loss risk factors in farmers

ABSTRACT

Purpose:

to investigate and to associate hearing disorders self-perception, habits and hearing loss risk factors in farmers.

Methods:

descriptive and exploratory cross-sectional study. 57 farmers from both sexes, age from 19 to 69 years, and time of farming activities from one to 45 years, participated in the study. A questionnaire with identification data, profession data, general health, hearing health, and medical assistance was addressed to the participants. Data were analyzed using the following non-parametric statistical tests: Mann-Whitney, Equality of two proportions, and Chi-square (p≤0.05).

Results:

the majority of farmers did not report hearing complaints; regarding risk factors, most of participants reported contact to pesticides and also not to having any guidance about the risks of farming to hearing health; there was higher report of noise exposition and handling pesticides in males; big part of participants used individual protection devices while operating noise equipment and were handling pesticides; there was no statistical differences among hearing factors and risk factors.

Conclusion:

as conclusion, the studied population did not have perception about hearing disorders, despite direct handling pesticides and not ever have had guidance about hearing risks in farming activity. Most of the subjects operated noise equipment and had contact to pesticides in their jobs, but they used individual protection device.

Keywords:
Agriculture; Environmental Exposure; Hearing Loss; Occupational Risks; Occupational Health.

RESUMO

Objetivo:

investigar e associar a autopercepção de dificuldade auditiva, os hábitos e os fatores de risco para a perda auditiva em agricultores.

Métodos:

trata-se de um estudo transversal, de caráter descritivo e exploratório. Participaram do estudo 57 agricultores, de ambos os gêneros, faixa etária entre 19 e 69 anos, e tempo de atuação agrícola entre um e 45 anos. Os sujeitos responderam um questionário com questões relacionadas a dados de identificação, ocupacionais, saúde geral, saúde auditiva e assistência médica. Os dados foram analisados utilizando-se os testes não-paramétricos Man-Whitney, Igualdade de Duas Proporções e Qui-quadrado (p≤0,05).

Resultados:

observou-se que a maioria dos agricultores relatou não possuir queixa auditiva; em relação aos fatores de risco para a perda auditiva a maioria relatou ter contato com agrotóxicos e não receber orientações sobre os riscos audiólogicos da prática agrícola; houve maior relato de exposição ao ruído e contato com agrotóxico em sujeitos do sexo masculino; grande parte dos sujeitos faziam utilização de equipamento de proteção individual quando trabalhavam com instrumento ruidoso e tinham contato com agrotóxico; não houve diferença estatística entre os fatores de ouvir e os fatores de risco.

Conclusão:

conclui-se que a população estudada não possuía percepção de dificuldade auditiva, apesar de ter contato direto com agrotóxicos e nunca ter recebido orientações sobre os riscos audiológicos da prática agrícola. A maioria dos sujeitos que fazia uso de instrumento de trabalho ruidoso e que tinha contato com agrotóxicos, utilizava equipamento de proteção individual.

Descritores:
Agricultura; Exposição Ambiental; Perda Auditiva; Riscos Ocupacionais; Saúde do Trabalhador

Introduction

Studies analyzing the exposition to noise risk and ototoxic products to farmers^1,2showed, beside the effects caused by the exposition to these factors in general health, consequences to hearing health³. Farmers are part of the group of works exposed to noise and defensive farming products⁴ that, due to lack of information and guidance about the risk of the defensive products to health, may overestimate the benefic effects of these products in plantation and disregard the detriments to health in short, medium and long term^5,6.

Among the several factors making farmers susceptible to the harmful effects caused by pesticides, the highlight goes to the hard access to information and education by the products' users, as the low control about its production, distribution, and use^2,7.

Literature have been evidencing the ototoxic and neurotoxic power of some pesticides to both peripheral and central hearing system, and also pointing out the noise of some farming equipment to be the factor that interacting to pesticides may potentiate their effects, causing disturbances in general and hearing health^8,9. The lack of individual protection device and proper environment may also be considered as potential factors to hearing loss risk¹⁰. There are evidences of hearing loss as premature symptom of poisoning¹¹.

Irati city is located in the countryside of Paraná state in Brazil and is considered of risk to hearing loss development due to pesticides use. This happen because the city has predominant rural economy with population mainly composed by farmers of medium-low income, educational level of incomplete elementary school. Besides, there is not much instruction regarding the hearing disorders and also the frequent contact to noise or pesticides to be the cause or potential of this disorder¹².

Therefore, the purpose of the current study is to investigate and to associate the self-perception of hearing disorders, hearing loss risk factors, and habits in farmers.

Methods

This research respected the 466/12 resolution of Conselho Nacional de Ética em Pesquisa (CONEP). Volunteers were informed about the research and signed the informed consent. The research was approved by the Ethic in Research Committee of Universidade Estadual Centro-Oeste under the number 023/201.

The study is cross-sectional, descriptive and exploratory, of quantitative nature. Subjects were recruited in meetings organized by workers member of the rural community of Irati city, Paraná State. The convenience sample was built of 57 farmers, age between 19 and 69 years (mean of 44.38), 14 (24.6%) females, and 43 (75.4%) male. Working period in farming was from one to 45 years (mean of 31.84±15.55 years).

Identification questionnaire, built by the researchers, was addressed to farmers with written and multiple choice questions regarding identification, work, general and hearing health, and medical assistance due to presented symptoms. The participants were guided to mark the sentences correspondent to their reality, as many as they judged necessary in each multiple choice questions. In addition, the questionnaire also had written questions regarding identification and work data, which determined the professional activity period.

Farmers with at least one year of farming activity and volunteering to join the research were included in the sample. The subjects reporting complaints leading to hearing loss developed before farming activity suspicion, hereditary factors, previous history of repetition otitis; hearing loss due to bacterial infection or post-birth virus, and extern and/or medium ear anatomic deviations.

Data were analyzed statistically using the non-parametric tests "Mann Whitney", "Two Proportions Equality", and "Chi-square". The significance level of 5% (p=0.05) was adopted.

Results

Table 1 presents significant majority of farmers without hearing complaint (p=<0.001). Regarding the risk factors to hearing loss, most of the farmers reported to handle pesticide (p=<0.001) and not have received guidance about hearing risks with farming activity (p=<0.001). Regarding habits, farmers reported not to be smokers (p=<0.001).

Table 1:
Self-perception of hearing disorders and hearing risk habits distribution to hearing loss in farmers.

• *Statistical significant values (p≤0.05) - Two proportion equality test -
• Subtitles: n= number of subjects; %= subjects' percentage

Table 2 demonstrates the lack of association of farming activity duration to hearing disorders self-perception, and hearing loss risk factors.

Table 2:
Farming working period association to hearing disorders self-perception and hearing loss risk factors to farmers.

• *Statistical significant values (p≤0.05) - Chi-square test
• Subtitles: n= number of subjects; %= subjects' percentage

Table 3 presents most of subjects operating noise work equipment (p=0.025) and handling pesticides (p=0.002), and also used individual protection device.

Table 3:
Relation between the report of using individual protection device while operating noise equipment and the use of protection device in farmers.

• *Statistical significant values (p≤0.05) - Chi-square test
• Subtitles: n= number of subjects; %= subjects' percentage

Table 4 demonstrates no relation between the reports of guidance about hearing risks in farming activities with operating noise equipment, and using individual protection device in farmers.

Table 4:
Relation between the report of guidance about hearing risks in farming activity while operating noise equipment and the use of individual protection device in farmers (n: 57)

• *Statistical significant values (p≤0.05) - Chi-square test
• Subtitles: n= number of subjects; %= subjects' percentage

Table 5 presents no significant relation among the factors and habits to hearing loss development, and hearing disorders self-perception.

Table 5:
Relation among the hearing disorders self-perception, with hearing loss risk factors and habits in farmers (n=57).

• *Statistical significant values (p≤0.05) - Chi-square test
• Subtitles: n= number of subjects; %= subjects' percentage

Discussion

The numbers of publications about hearing disorders self-perception, habits and hearing loss risk factors in farmers is yet rare, mainly due to the sanative model that originated Speech Language Pathology: seeking the control and treatment of diseases¹³. In this context, it is necessary to investigate habits and risk factors to hearing loss development that this population is exposed to, since it may start some difficulties related to general and hearing health of subjects¹⁴. In small towns, as the one the study was carried out (Irati-Pr), small farmers without precision farming and working almost handicraft in family agriculture are predominant, the risk factors may grow, and, therefore, it is necessary to investigate it.

The population of this study has a work organization composed by the family; however, the study had the predominance of males in the sample. This finding corroborates to other studies showing the predominance of men in activities in rural environment^15-17. This fact is probably related to male farmers be considered culturally more resistant to hard work, and also to be the providers of organization dynamic of rural workers population^18,19. Still in sample profile, most participants reported to be non-smokers, similar to other studies with farmers^8,17.

The significantly majority of farmers in this study reported direct handling pesticides, but not ever have had received guidance about the hearing loss risks in this practice. This data is important and harmful, because literature points out the annual incidence of intoxication by pesticides in workers is 2.2%¹⁷. Besides, handling pesticides may take to acute or chronic intoxication, and both may lead to death²⁰. Acute intoxication leads to complaints and symptoms after exposition, which is: weakness, vomit, and headache²¹. Chronic intoxications are those needing precise diagnose, performed by multi-discipline team including dermatologists, neurologists, immunologists, oncologists, and others, in order to have accurate clinic-epidemiologic reasoning, because this intoxication is gradual and progressive, without precise complaint and symptoms allowing an easy clinical condition identification²².

Association of the duration of time in farming with hearing disorders self-perception and the hearing loss risk factors was not found: operating noise equipment, handling pesticides, guidance about hearing loss risk in farming activity, and individual protection device (IPD) use (Table 2). Regarding duration of time, studies reported the incorrect use of IPD associated to noise equipment may lead to hearing loss development in approximate four years^9,19. These findings are important but were not confirmed in this research. The reason may be the hearing health mantainence depends on set of factors as the quantity and the frequency of pesticides exposition, the concurrent operating noise equipment, and the lack of individual protection^4,8,23-25; in the current research, most subjects operated noise equipment at work, handled pesticides, and used individual protection device (Table 3). These findings are different from other studies^5,10 of the same theme, because most farmers reported not using the protection device for several reasons, as: financial issues to acquire the individual protection device, troubles using it due to warmth, discomfort and lack of habit to use it^10,23.

Most farmers in the study did not report hearing disorders (Table 1), and also did not relate habits and risk factors to hearing loss development (Table 5). Possible explanation to this finding is the lack of guidance about hearing loss due to farming activity, predominant in the sample (Table 1), whether due to noise, pesticides, or both factors²³. The lack of relation among the guidance about hearing loss risks due to farming activity with operating noise equipment, and the use of individual protection device (Table 4) reinforce this finding. This is something of concern because, despite the researched risks factors may cause damage in hearing system and also in subjects' general health, the hearing features of loss induced by noise associated to chemical substances may be closer to the presbycusis features. To differential diagnose of this type of hearing accuracy is necessary to perform detailed anamneses and complete clinical assessment. Many patients are extremely difficult to identify the cause of hearing loss, because there is a summation of causes⁴. Besides, the time to clinical condition to be installed, when is not due to acute intoxication, is gradual and long, approximated four years^9,19.

Other researches^9,26,27 already pointed out the need to control and guidance about the use of pesticides and the danger of noise exposition, promoting the knowledge and alarming the farmers about the hearing risks and the damage to health caused by farming activity without proper care and the individual protection devices used correctly. This is applied specially to the population of family agriculture, in which farmer handle the pesticide and the family also is exposed to the product, once everyone has some contribution to the agriculture production²¹, mainly in plantation and harvest⁸. In addition, the family residence is usually close to plantation²⁸.

However there are few coverage and insertion of collective health programs promoting the knowledge and the capability to daily practice of rural population²⁴. So, it is needed to recognize the complexity of the troubles caused by the indiscriminate use of pesticides in several ways, which requires specific public politics to be implemented, and the making educational and health actions to rural populations^24,29, mainly to farmers in family agriculture.

Among the limitations of the current study are the small and convenient sample, the predominance of male participants, and the use of not valid tool. More studies are needed on the theme, verifying whether the findings of this research are confirmed in studies sample size based on sample calculus, random sample selection, and considering group allocation in farming types, social class, and scholarship of participants.

Conclusion

The studied population did not have hearing disorders self-perception, despite direct handling pesticide and not ever have had guidance about hearing risk in farming activities. Most of the subjects operating noise equipment and handling pesticide used individual protection device; any other significant association were found among hearing disorder self-perception, hearing loss risk factors and habits. Yet, actions promoting knowledge and capability of these workers regarding the risks to general and hearing health need to be done.

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Publication Dates

• Publication in this collection
  Nov-Dec 2016

History

• Received
  06 Sept 2015
• Accepted
  14 Dec 2015