title: [Investigation of screening methods for identifying population susceptible to noise-induced hearing loss].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the screening methods for identifying the populations susceptible and resistant to noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) and to provide a reference for future research.
  
  
  METHODS
  Workers who were exposed to 75 ∼ 120 dB noise in enterprises were included in the study. Field investigation of occupational health was conducted; workers' basic information and data on hearing threshold levels were collected. Paired chi-square test was used to compare each two of three screening methods, which were used at home and abroad to identify noise-susceptible and noise-sensitive populations, in terms of noise exposure level, general information, and noise-induced hearing threshold shift.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were no significant differences in the noise exposure level, basic information, and left and right ears' hearing threshold levels of noise-susceptible and noise-sensitive populations between each two of the three screening methods (P > 0.05), according to the paired chi-square test. However, high-frequency hearing threshold had statistically significant difference among the three methods. As a whole, methods B and C were superior to method A.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The workers in China are younger than before, with more awareness of self-protection, and individual protection is enhanced in them. Currently, method B is more suitable for screening out the population susceptible to NIHL in China.
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University,Guangzhou 510080, China.
authors.forename: Yao
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Yuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Chuan-wei
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Duan
authors.forename: Yan-jun
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.forename: Hao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Lu-wu
authors.initials: LW
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.forename: Yi-min
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002681:China; D004198:Disease Susceptibility; D005260:Female; D006317:Hearing Loss, Noise-Induced / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D009623:Noise, Occupational / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult