Jørgensen and colleagues (2022) recently published a paper examining the association between hearing loss and both physician-certified sick leave (>16 days) and disability pension.
These investigators used data collected as part of the Trøndelag Health Study (the HUNT Hearing Study) conducted in Norway. They followed 21,754 participants between the ages of 20 and 49 who had pure-tone air-conduction threshold and questionnaire data and were working at baseline (1996–1998).
Sick leave and pension data obtained from Statistics Norway were matched to the participants in the HUNT study and were examined through 2011.These data revealed associations between both hearing loss and sick leave and hearing loss and disability pension, but the relationship was stronger for disability pension.
The investigators reported that the association between hearing loss and sick leave was weak. These investigators also examined the relationships with the addition of tinnitus, as well as potential effect modifiers and confounders using stratified analyses.
Reference
Jørgensen AY, Aarhus L, Engdahl B. et al. (2022) Hearing loss, sick leave, and disability pension: findings from the HUNT follow-up study. BMC Public Health 22:1340.
Related Posts
The Utilization of Telehealth Services
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the American Academy of Audiology (2020) provided audiologists with guidance regarding the use of telehealth services. In October 2021, the Academy released a position statement titled The Use of Telehealth for the Delivery of Audiological Services. Members can access this statement here. While the COVID-19 pandemic may have expanded telehealth services,…
Postural Sway Observations in Children with ADHD
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) affects approximately five percent of the pediatric population. Up to 50 percent of children with ADHD also exhibit motor control and balance issues in addition to the more commonly seen symptoms of hyperactivity, impulsivity and inattention. Fidgeting, poor motor planning, increased postural sway, and difficulty sitting still may be related…
Deaths from Unintentional Falls in Older Adults
At the end of September 2022, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released data overviewing rates of death resulting from unintentional falls between the years of 1999–2020 by adults 65 years and older (Garnett et al, 2022). The report showed that death rates have increased, with the largest increase seen by those aged…