A recent study revealed that hearing loss may prevent many young adults from accomplishing their potential while pursuing their careers and schooling.
According to research published in the journal Frontiers in Audiology and Otology, hearing issues may increase the challenges for individuals to communicate properly at work, which may pose challenges in their career growth and opportunities.
Senior author and professor and chairman of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Charles Ellis Jr., stated:
"Hearing problems may make it harder for people to communicate effectively at work, which can limit job opportunities and career growth.”
For the study, the research was dependent on a large national database which followed the health and economic results of thousands of US children studying in high schools during the 1994-1995 school year.
The progress in life was analysed up to when the 11,955 participants were between the ages of 33 and 43 years.
Eventually, participants were in their 30s and 40s, 1.4% stated that they’d experienced hearing loss, while 8.8% individuals stated that they felt tinnitus, ringing in the ears, and the remaining 1.4% people stated that they experienced both issues.
When it came to the workforce, people with hearing loss had a 12% lower chance of being in paid employment compared to folks with no hearing issues, according to the study.
Researchers further found that educational attainment was reduced for individuals undergoing the above-mentioned conditions, and they seem to be associated with poor health.
Another major factor which mattered was ethnicity and race: Black and Hispanic participants with hearing loss experienced 98% and 99% lower odds of engaging in salaried jobs than their hearing peers, researchers mentioned.
To minimise the impact of hearing loss, researchers stressed the need to provide improved access to hearing care, workplace support, and more flexible options.
