Prevalence and risk factors of hearing disorders among working populations – A systematic review

Abstract

Introduction

This systematic review aimed to determine the prevalence of different subtypes of hearing disorders (hearing loss, noise-induced hearing loss, hearing impairment, and standard threshold shift) as well as to identify the risk factors associated with hearing disorders in working populations.

Methods

A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science for English-language studies published from 2016 to 2025. Eligible studies included studies that were conducted among worker populations and those reported prevalence and/or risk factors of hearing disorders. Extracted data include study countries, industrial sectors, subtypes of hearing disorders, assessment tools for hearing disorders, prevalence (or incidence) estimates, and risk factors. Commonly reported risk factors were identified through descriptive analysis and van Tulder's criteria.

Results

Among the 47 studies included, the prevalence of hearing loss, NIHL, and hearing impairment ranged from 3.8%–73.5%, 0.2%–63.6%, and 2.7%–71.2%, respectively. The prevalence of STS was 50.0%. There were 89 risk factors of hearing disorders, across eight domains, namely medical conditions (25 risk factors), work-related (18 risk factors), noise-related (13 risk factors), lifestyle (12 risk factors), sociodemographic characteristics (8 risk factors), HPD-related (5 risk factors), exposure to other occupational hazards (4 risk factors), and knowledge-related (4 risk factors). Among these 89 risk factors, only noise exposure and previous smoking showed consistent associations with hearing disorders.

Conclusion

The prevalence of hearing loss varied widely. Among the 89 reported risk factors (across eight domains) of hearing disorders, only noise exposure and previous smoking showed consistent associations with hearing disorders.