Economic Impact of Hearing Loss and Reduction of Noise-Induced Hearing Loss in the United States
| Autor: | Tracy K. Swinburn, Monica S. Hammer, Richard L. Neitzel, Daniel Eisenberg |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2015 |
| Předmět: |
Adult
Linguistics and Language medicine.medical_specialty Adolescent Hearing loss Audiology Language and Linguistics 03 medical and health sciences Speech and Hearing Young Adult 0302 clinical medicine medicine Prevalence Humans 030212 general & internal medicine Economic impact analysis 030223 otorhinolaryngology Environmental noise Hearing Loss Aged Aged 80 and over business.industry Uncertainty Middle Aged medicine.disease United States medicine.symptom business Noise-induced hearing loss |
| Zdroj: | Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHR. 60(1) |
| ISSN: | 1558-9102 |
| Popis: | PurposeHearing loss (HL) is pervasive and debilitating, and noise-induced HL is preventable by reducing environmental noise. Lack of economic analyses of HL impacts means that prevention and treatment remain a low priority for public health and environmental investment.MethodThis article estimates the costs of HL on productivity by building on established estimates for HL prevalence and wage and employment differentials between those with and without HL.ResultsWe estimate that HL affects more than 13% of the working population. Not all HL can be prevented or treated, but if the 20% of HL resulting from excessive noise exposure were prevented, the economic benefit would be substantial—we estimate a range of $58 billion to $152 billion annually, with a core estimate of $123 billion. We believe this is a conservative estimate, because consideration of additional costs of HL, including health care and special education, would likely further increase the benefits associated with HL prevention.ConclusionHL is costly and warrants additional emphasis in public and environmental health programs. This study represents an important first step in valuing HL prevention—in particular, prevention of noise-induced HL—where new policies and technologies appear promising. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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