Table 1.
Demographic characteristics of the survey participants and self-reported nature of hearing loss
| Males | Females | P | |
|---|---|---|---|
| N | 2806 (43.6%) | 3626 (56.4%) | |
| Age (mean ± standard deviation) | 45.6 ± 17.2 | 44.9 ± 17.3 | 0.11 |
| English speaking % | 95.0 | 97.3 | 0.64 |
| Private health insurance % | 45.0 | 42.9 | 0.24 |
| Farmers, n (%) | 111 (4.0%) | 54 (1.5%) | <0.001 |
| Nature of hearing loss | |||
| Partial hearing loss, n (%) | 154 (5.5) | 116 (3.2) | 0.008 |
| Wears/has worn hearing aids, n (%) | 71 (2.5) | 47 (1.3) | 0.001 |
| Industrial hearing loss, n (%) | 88 (3.1) | 16 (0.4) | <0.001 |
| Hearing loss (undefined), n (%) | 43 (1.5) | 29 (0.8) | 0.018 |
| Advanced age, n (%) | 25 (0.9) | 33 (0.9) | 0.882 |
| Infection/damage to ear drum, n (%) | 10 (0.4) | 25 (0.7) | 0.182 |
| Tinnitus, n (%) | 20 (0.7) | 14 (0.4) | 0.186 |
| Nerve damage, n (%) | 5 (0.2) | 10 (0.3) | 0.001 |