survey of noise-induced hearing loss and health in professional drivers

conclusions due to the long exposure to the loud noise during the day, hearing loss in drivers is significant. the left ear displays greater loss than the right ear. therefore, strategies to prevent hearing loss in drivers could include education, lifestyle changes and compliance issues related to hearing health, use of personal protective equipment, conducting periodic examinations and early treatment . results the results of bmi showed that the 44.7% of professional drivers were overweight, 16.7 % moderately obese and 4.2% were severely obese. cholesterol of drivers, 27.3% was border line high risk and 13.3% high-risk. triglycerides of drivers, 19.5% were border line high risk and 25.8% high-risk. the mean age of the drivers, cholesterol, triglycerides and bmi were 41.56 ± 10.57, 193.12 ± 42.63, 176.21 ± 118.21 and 26.89 ± 4.29, respectively. the rates of hearing loss in high audiometric frequencies were more than at low audiometric frequencies. hearing loss in older drivers was more and this was due to the long exposure to noise pollution. background noise from traffic is a major source of environmental pollution in different countries. objectives this study aimed to investigate the effect of noise on professional drivers’ health and hearing loss in tehran, iran. materials and methods this cross-sectional descriptive and analytic study was performed on 1901 professional drivers referred to one of the authorized occupational health clinics in tehran, iran, in 2011. basic demographic data including height, weight and age were recorded. moreover, body mass index (bmi), cholesterol, triglycerides and audiometry tests were performed.