Prevalence and Determinants of Hearing  Impairment among the Adult Population  in a Coastal Area of Villupuram District,  Tamil Nadu

Madhanraj K; Venkatachalam J; Zile Singh; Jayaramachandiran; Anil J Purty; Nishanth Savery

Volume : II, Issue : VI, June - 2013

Prevalence and Determinants of Hearing Impairment among the Adult Population in a Coastal Area of Villupuram District, Tamil Nadu

Madhanraj K, Venkatachalam J, Zile Singh, Jayaramachandiran, Anil J Purty, Nishanth Savery

Abstract :

Introduction: He� loss is the most common sensory deficit. World over, it is the second leading cause for �Years lived with Disability (YLD)�. As per WHO estimates, approximately 63 million people are suffering from he� impairment in India. In order to set policies and priorities regarding he� problem, it is essential to have information on prevalence and determinants of he� impairment. Objective: To determine the prevalence and determinants of he� impairment among the adult population in coastal area of Villupuram district, Tamil Nadu. Methods: A community based cross sectional study was conducted from 4th Feuary 2013 to 2nd March 2013 among the 1034 individuals (>18 years old) at Marakkanam block, Villupuram District, Tamil Nadu. Multistage Cluster sampling technique was followed. Data was collected using a predesigned structured and validated questionnaire by house to house interview/examination by trained medical students after obtaining informed consent . Data was analysed using SPSS version 16.0 and p value <0.05 was used as statistically significant. Results: The prevalence of he� impairment is 8.5% (CI: 7.92, 9.68). It is significantly associated with age (p=0.03) and occupation (p=0.01). The proportion of he� impairment is significantly higher in the respondents with family history of he� loss (41%, p<0.001), Diabetes (16.3%, p=0.04), history of ear trauma (18.5%, p=0.02). Conclusion: He� impairment is a significant public health problem and there is a need to strengthen the existing strategies and formulate innovative strategies to halt and reduce the burden of he� impairment