Men suffer hearing loss from noisy jobs

New Zealand men are more likely to suffer from hearing loss than women, research shows.

Dr Anne Greville, a former director of the National Audiology Centre in Auckland, says it appears that workplace noise exposure is the cause.

In a report published in Soundscape newsletter, she said that just under 400,000 New Zealanders reported hearing loss, with men outnumbering women by 90,400.

And 31,500 more men reported disability caused by hearing loss.

Men were more likely to be employed in "noisy sectors" such as agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining and construction.

"The difference in incidence of hearing problems between men and women is evident from the age of 25," Dr Greville said.

"As women live longer than men, the number of men and women over the age of 75 with hearing loss is about the same."

Dr Greville collated information from the 1996 and 2001 Censuses and data from the audiology centre.

Other findings included:

* Eight per cent of New Zealand children started school with a hearing loss which would significantly affect their ability to learn.

* Fifteen per cent of Pacific Island and 13.5 per cent of Maori children started school with hearing loss, putting them at higher risk of failure than their Pakeha peers.

* Hearing loss detection in children on average was 28.1 months, compared with a recommended six months.

* The number of Special Education Service advisers for hearing-impaired children dropped from 24 in 1989 to nine this year.

- NZPA