Citation

Nondahl DM, Cruickshanks KJ, Wiley TL, Klein R, Klein BE, Tweed TS. Arch. Family Med. 2000; 9(4): 352-357.

Affiliation

University of Wisconsin, Department of Ophthalmology, Madison, USA. nondahl@epi.ophth.wisc.edu

Copyright

(Copyright © 2000, American Medical Association)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

10776364

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To assess the relation between recreational firearm use and high-frequency hearing loss in a population of older adults. DESIGN: Cross-sectional, population-based cohort study. SETTING: The midwestern community of Beaver Dam, Wis. PARTICIPANTS: A population-based sample of 3753 participants (83% of those eligible), aged 48 to 92 years, participated in the baseline phase of the Epidemiology of Hearing Loss Study. INTERVENTION: None. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Lifetime and past year self-reported firearm use during target shooting and hunting were assessed by interview. Hearing thresholds were measured by pure-tone audiometry. RESULTS: After age and other factors were adjusted for, men (n = 1538) who had ever regularly engaged in target shooting (odds ratio, 1.57; 95% confidence interval, 1.12-2.19) or who had done so in the past year (odds ratio, 2.00; 95% confidence interval, 1.15-3.46) were more likely to have a marked high-frequency hearing loss than those who had not. Risk of having a marked high-frequency hearing loss increased 7% for every 5 years the men had hunted (odds ratio, 1.07; 95% confidence interval, 1.03-1.12). Thirty-eight percent of the target shooters and 95% of the hunters reported never wearing hearing protection while shooting in the past year. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that use of recreational firearms is associated with marked high-frequency hearing loss in men. There is a need for further education of users of recreational firearms regarding the risk of hearing impairment associated with firearm use and the availability and importance of appropriate hearing protection.