None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
An estimated 4 million Australians have a hearing loss. People with hearing loss are reluctant to seek or accept help for their hearing and listening problems. The literature shows that this reluctance is driven by a fear of stigmatisation and serves as a major barrier to the effective delivery of services which have been designed to reduce the health and social impacts of hearing loss. A population group at risk are farmers with two out of three affected by hearing loss. Permanent hearing damage can be caused by prolonged exposure to noise or immediately by sudden, extremely loud or explosive noises. There are many different and unique sources of noise on farms. This project tests the hypothesis that participating in early intervention hearing services focussed towards farming families will contribute to (a) significant reduction in the impact of hearing loss on farmers and (b) educate and empower farmers on their capacity to reduce their noise exposure.
Interventions
One hundred farming participants (with self-reported hearing problems) will be allocated to either (a) the intervention group (N=50), in which they will receive the Montreal Health Hearing Program (MHHP) via a workshop, an on farm noise audit, and a follow up workshop or (b) the control group (N=50). Outcomes for each group will be tracked from pre-intervention to six month follow-up.
The MHHP will be delivered by Health Professionals trained in the MHHP and experienced in working with farmin
One hundred farming participants (with self-reported hearing problems) will be allocated to either (a) the intervention group (N=50), in which they will receive the Montreal Health Hearing Program (MHHP) via a workshop, an on farm noise audit, and a follow up workshop or (b) the control group (N=50). Outcomes for each group will be tracked from pre-intervention to six month follow-up. The MHHP will be delivered by Health Professionals trained in the MHHP and experienced in working with farming populations to the intervention group of farm men and women in addition to on-farm noise audits. The MHHP will occur over two days in 2 x 4 hour sessions in the participant’s local community. The first workshop will occur at the beginning of the intervention and the second workshop 6 months later. The on-farm noise audit will be undertaken at the beginning of the intervention. Field measurements will be carried out by trained health professionals using a CEL–244 digital integrating Sound Level Meter, for the direct noise measurement for sampled farm activities and CEL-350/K4 dBadge personal noise exposure dosimeters in accordance with the measurement and calibration procedures provided in AS/NZS 1269.1: 2005.
Sponsors
Deakin University
Study design
Allocation
Non-randomised trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Prevention
Masking
Open (masking not used)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
20 Years to 78 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
Are over the age of 20 years and under the age of 78; Are currently farming; Speak English; Are competent to decide and have capacity to consent to participate, attend health hearing workshops and health assessment, and be interviewed as a member of a focus group. Have self reported hearing loss
Exclusion criteria
non farmers
Outcome results
None listed