Explaining better hearing in Norway: a comparison of two cohorts 20 years apart - the HUNT study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The hearing function at a given age seems to have improved in more recent born cohorts in industrialized countries. But the reasons for the improvement have not yet been explained.

Methods

We investigated the extent to which better hearing in Norway is attributed to modifiable risk factors by using representative demographic and audiometric data from two cohorts of the Trøndelag Health Study, HUNT2 (1996-1998) and HUNT4 (2017-2019). We estimated natural indirect effects using causal inference methods in order to assess whether cohort improvement in hearing thresholds (HTs) was mediated by occupational noise exposure, recurrent ear infections, smoking and education.

Results

The improvement in HTs from HUNT2 to HUNT4 was 2.8 and 3.0 dB at low respectively hig

SUBMITTER: Engdahl B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7844976 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature