Knowledge, attitude, and practice of printing press workers towards noise-induced hearing loss

Abstract

Context: Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is considered as a common occupational hazard among the industrial workers. The printing press is one of the common industrial set up where noise levels are often high. The awareness of people working in such a setup is generally less towards the hazards that is caused by noise exposure. Aim: The current study was designed to identify the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of printing press workers towards NIHL. Settings and Design: Cross-sectional study was carried using an adapted and validated KAP questionnaire. It was administered on 57 workers in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. Methods and Material: The study was carried out in two phases: phase I included the adaptation and validation of KAP questionnaire to printing press workers. Phase II comprised of the administration of the questionnaire among the study population. Statistical analysis used: Descriptive statistics was used to compile the results. To measure the internal consistency Cronbach’s alpha scale was used. Results: The responses obtained from workers showed inadequate knowledge, negative attitudes in certain subdomains and poor practice. Conclusions: The findings from the present study sheds light on the dearth of awareness in printing press workers on hearing conservation and need of training programs to educate the printing press workers towards the effects of NIHL.

Keywords

• attitude
• knowledge
• noise-induced hearing loss
• practice questionnaire
• printing press workers
• key messages
• noise-induced hearing loss is a reversible condition and may become irreversible if not taken care