Traffic Noise Levels and Hearing Impairment Among Shop Keepers in a Metropolitan City – An Embedded Mixed-Method Study

Kirubakaran S; Manoj  Kumar K; Arun  Murugan

doi:10.55489/njcm.160720255136

Authors

Kirubakaran S Department of Community Medicine, Government Omandurar Medical College, Chennai, India
Manoj Kumar K Department of Community Medicine, Government Omandurar Medical College, Chennai, India
Arun Murugan Department of Community Medicine, Government Omandurar Medical College, Chennai, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.55489/njcm.160720255136

Keywords:

mhealth, hearWHO, Traffic Noise, Hearing Loss, Noise Pollution, Narrative Analysis

Abstract

Context: Traffic noise and its impact on shop keepers is studied less. Use of mobile application for assessing noise levels and hearing impairment might provide solution in resource poor settings. Aims: Assess hearing impairment in shop keepers of traffic busy roads. Measure the noise exposure and monitor the community noise level in that locality. Find association between noise exposure and level of hearing impairment.

Methods and Material: The study design was embedded mixed method design. It had 1) quantitative phase - hearing impairment among shop keepers, noise level measurements and photographs of study locations were taken, 2) qualitative phase - narrative analysis of the photographs.

Results: Among participants, mean hearWHO score was 49.71 ± 10.95 and 34 had hearing impairment. It is found people who work for more than 10 years had a higher chance of developing hearing loss than those who worked less than 5 years. Weekly averages of noise values exceeded permissible limits in all locations. Narrative analysis suggested increased vehicle density in all locations.

Conclusions: Traffic noise levels are higher than permissible limits mainly contributed by vehicles with potential risk for causing hearing impairment on long term exposure.

References

World Health Organization (WHO). Deafness and hearing loss. Fact sheet: WHO; 26 February 2025. [Last Accessed on May 6, 2025] Available from: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/deafness-and-hearing-loss

National Programme for Prevention and Control of Deafness. (2001). [Last Accessed on May 6, 2025] Available from: https://dghs.mohfw.gov.in/national-programme-for-prevention-and-control-of-deafness.php

Metidieri MM, Rodrigues HF, Filho FJ, Ferraz DP, Neto AF, Torres S. Noise-Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL): literature review with a focus on occupational medicine. Int Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2013 Apr;17(2):208-12. Doi: https://doi.org/10.7162/S1809-97772013000200015 PMid:25992015 PMCid:PMC4399645

Banerjee D, Chakraborty SK, Bhattacharyya S, Gangopadhyay A. Evaluation and analysis of road traffic noise in Asansol: an industrial town of eastern India. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2008 Sep;5(3):165-71. Doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph5030165 PMid:19139535 PMCid:PMC3699987

Basner M, Babisch W, Davis A, Brink M, Clark C, Janssen S, Stansfeld S. Auditory and non-auditory effects of noise on health. Lancet. 2014 Apr 12;383(9925):1325-1332. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(13)61613-X PMid:24183105

National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. Noise induced hearing loss. Available at: https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/noise-induced-hearing-loss. Accessed Nov 9, 2024.

Bergström B, Nyström B. Development of hearing loss during long-term exposure to occupational noise. A 20-year follow-up study. Scand Audiol. 1986;15(4):227-34. Doi: https://doi.org/10.3109/01050398609042148 PMid:3563402

Shrestha I, Shrestha BL, Pokharel M, Amatya RC, Karki DR. Prevalence of noise induced hearing loss among traffic police personnel of Kathmandu Metropolitan City. Kathmandu Univ Med J (KUMJ). 2011 Oct-Dec;9(36):274-8. Doi: https://doi.org/10.3126/kumj.v9i4.6343 PMid:22710537

Pathak, Vinita & Tripathi, B. & Mishra, Virendra. Evaluation of traffic noise pollution & attitudes of exposed individuals in working place. Atmospheric Environment - ATMOS ENVIRON. 2008; 42(16): 3892-3898. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2007.12.070

Wang TC, Chang TY, Tyler RS, Hwang BF, Chen YH, Wu CM, Liu CS, Chen KC, Lin CD, Tsai MH. Association between exposure to road traffic noise and hearing impairment: a case-control study. J Environ Health Sci Eng. 2021 Jul 20;19(2):1483-1489. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40201-021-00704-y PMid:34900282 PMCid:PMC8617107

Chib A, van Velthoven MH, Car J. mHealth adoption in low-resource environments: a review of the use of mobile healthcare in developing countries. J Health Commun. 2015;20(1):4-34. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/10810730.2013.864735 PMid:24673171

Rowland SP, Fitzgerald JE, Holme T, Powell J, McGregor A. What is the clinical value of mHealth for patients? NPJ Digit Med. 2020 Jan 13;3:4. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41746-019-0206-x PMid:31970289 PMCid:PMC6957674

Goodwin MV, Hogervorst E, Maidment DW. Test Your Health at Home: Comparing Online Screening Tests of Hearing, Cognition, and Cardiovascular Health. Am J Audiol. 2022 Sep 21;31(3S):950-960. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1044/2021_AJA-21-00199 PMid:35239423

Iribarren SJ, Cato K, Falzon L, Stone PW. What is the economic evidence for mHealth? A systematic review of economic evaluations of mHealth solutions. PLoS One. 2017 Feb 2;12(2):e0170581. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0170581 PMid:28152012 PMCid:PMC5289471

van Wyk T, Mahomed-Asmail F, Swanepoel W. Supporting hearing health in vulnerable populations through community care workers using mHealth technologies. Int J Audiol. 2019 Nov;58(11):790-797. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/14992027.2019.1649478 PMid:31419388

Gupta A, Bakshi SS, Kakkar R. Epidemiology and Risk Factors for Hearing Damage Among Adults Using Headphones via Mobile Applications. Cureus. 2022 May 31;14(5):e25532. Doi: https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.25532

World Health Organization. WHO launches the hearWHO app for mobile devices to help detect hearing loss. Departmental news; Geneva: World Health Organization; 1 March 2018. [Last Accessed on May 6, 2025] https://www.who.int/teams/noncommunicable-diseases/sensory-functions-disability-and-rehabilitation/hearwho

Lee EY, Jerrett M, Ross Z, Coogan PF, Seto EY. Assessment of traffic-related noise in three cities in the United States. Environ Res. 2014 Jul;132:182-9. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2014.03.005 PMid:24792415 PMCid:PMC4058403

Crossley E, Biggs T, Brown P, Singh T. The Accuracy of iPhone Applications to Monitor Environmental Noise Levels. Laryngoscope. 2021 Jan;131(1):E59-E62. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/lary.28590 PMid:32108336

Pascale, Antonio & Macedo, Eloisa & Guarnaccia, Claudio & Coelho, Margarida. Smart mobility procedure for road traffic noise dynamic estimation by video analysis. Applied Acoustics. 2023; 208: 109381. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apacoust.2023.109381

Mogan KA, Tiwari P, Joseph B, Katia A, Kumar A, Chugh A. A Smartphone-Based Assessment of Hearing Impairment among Students of a Medical College, Delhi, India- A Cross-Sectional Study. Indian J Community Med. 2023 Jan-Feb;48(1):196-200. Doi: https://doi.org/10.4103/ijcm.ijcm_570_22 PMid:37082396 PMCid:PMC10112760

Garg S, Kohli C, Mangla V, Chadha S, Singh MM, Dahiya N. An Epidemiological Study on Burden of Hearing Loss and Its Associated Factors in Delhi, India. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol. 2018 Sep;127(9):614-619. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/0003489418781968 PMid:29938517

Cruickshanks KJ, Tweed TS, Wiley TL, Klein BE, Klein R, Chappell R, Nondahl DM, Dalton DS. The 5-year incidence and progression of hearing loss: the epidemiology of hearing loss study. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2003 Oct;129(10):1041-6. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1001/archotol.129.10.1041 PMid:14568784

Feder K, Michaud D, McNamee J, Fitzpatrick E, Davies H, Leroux T. Prevalence of Hazardous Occupational Noise Exposure, Hearing Loss, and Hearing Protection Usage Among a Representative Sample of Working Canadians. J Occup Environ Med. 2017 Jan;59(1):92-113. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1097/JOM.0000000000000920 PMid:28045804 PMCid:PMC5704673

Early J, Gonzalez C, Gordon-Dseagu V, Robles-Calderon L. Use of Mobile Health (mHealth) Technologies and Interventions Among Community Health Workers Globally: A Scoping Review. Health Promot Pract. 2019 Nov;20(6):805-817. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/1524839919855391 PMid:31179777

Yousuf Hussein S, Wet Swanepoel D, Biagio de Jager L, Myburgh HC, Eikelboom RH, Hugo J. Smartphone hearing screening in mHealth assisted community-based primary care. J Telemed Telecare. 2016 Oct;22(7):405-12. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/1357633X15610721 PMid:26468215

World Health Organization. Guidelines for community noise [Internet]. Geneva: World Health Organization; 1999 [cited 2025 Jan 17]. Available from: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/a68672

Mangalekar SB, Jadhav AS Raut PD. Study of Noise Pollution in Kolhapur City, Maharashtra, India. Universal Journal of Environmental Research and Technology 2012; 2(1):65-69.