Quality of Life and Self-Reported Symptoms in Workers Exposed to Excessive Noise

Authors : Emre Söylemez, Cihangir Karakaya, Nihat Yılmaz

Pages : 535-541

Doi:10.53394/akd.1351642

View : 74 | Download : 93

Publication Date : 2024-09-19

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :Objective: Noise can cause physiological and psychological changes by affecting human health. This study aims to investigate the quality of life and self-report symptoms of tinnitus, hearing loss, dizziness, sleep, attention, anxiety and fatigue in workers exposed to excessive noise. Materials and Methods: The study included 111 workers working in noisy environments and 74 individuals not working in noisy environments (control group). The Short Form (SF)-36 scale was used to evaluate the participants\' quality of life, and the visual analogue scale (VAS) was used to assess the self-report symptoms. Result: Self-report tinnitus, hearing loss, dizziness, sleep, attention and anxiety scores of the workers were worse than the control group (p<0.05). In addition, the physical function, physical role restriction, social functionality, pain and general health scores of the workers, which are the sub-dimensions of SF-36, were worse than the control group (p<0.05). However, there was no difference between the groups in terms of emotional role, mental health, and energy/vitality scores (p>0.05). Conclusion: Noise increases workers\' self-report symptoms and reduces their quality of life. By taking more precautions against workplace noise, workers\' health and working performance can be protected.
Keywords : İşçiler, işitme, denge, uyku, kaygı