ArticleNoise & health
Audiological Symptoms Experienced by Taxi Drivers at Two Taxi Ranks in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Article in Noise & health. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
1 author.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundNoise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is among the most common occupational health conditions worldwide. In South Africa, thousands of informal taxi drivers are chronically exposed to high traffic and environmental noise; however, data on their hearing health, awareness of audiology or access to hearing conservation programmes are lacking.
objectiveThis study investigated occupational noise exposure, auditory and nonauditory symptoms, knowledge of hearing risks and health-seeking behaviours among minibus taxi drivers in Johannesburg.
methodsA cross-sectional, quantitative design was used. Eighty-six male taxi drivers completed structured questionnaires on demographics, work history, exposure, symptoms, knowledge and health-seeking behaviour. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, chi-square tests and logistic regression.
resultsAll participants were male. Most firstly, encountered occupational noise between the ages 20 and 30 and worked 12-16 hours daily, with 16-37 years of cumulative exposure. Tinnitus (64%) and hearing difficulties (40%) were the most common, with 78% noticing hearing changes during peak hours. Noise exposure was significantly associated with tinnitus, hearing difficulties, diabetes, perceived hearing changes and the belief that noise affects work. Logistic regression identified tinnitus [odds ratio (OR) = 1634] and hearing difficulties (OR = 166) as the strongest predictors of hearing change. Only 27% had undergone hearing testing, and over half were unaware of audiologists' roles. Knowledge of hearing risks and audiology was linked to high testing uptake.
conclusionsJohannesburg taxi drivers are at high risk for NIHL because of chronic exposure, long shifts and lack of protective measures. Limited awareness of audiology and poor health-seeking behaviour further increase vulnerability.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.