• Rachel Barney and Bruce K Bohnker.
• Embry Riddle University, Daytona Beach, FL, USA.
• Aviat Space Envir Md. 2006 Jan 1; 77 (1): 53-6.

IntroductionAviation personnel in the U.S. Marine Corps are exposed to auditory trauma that may produce hearing loss in excess of personnel with other work exposures.MethodsU.S. Marine Corps personnel in the Navy and Marine Corps Hearing Conservation Database (1995-1999; n = 20,645) were analyzed. The outcome variable was a hearing threshold at 4000 Hz in the left ear greater than 25 dB for annual and periodic audiograms. Personnel were characterized by gender, officer status, 5-yr age groups, and by military occupational skills (MOS) groups of "aviation," "combat arms," and "other."ResultsAfter adjustment by logistic regression for age group, gender, and officer status, the "aviation" group was not different from the "other" category, while the "combat arms" group was more likely to have elevated hearing thresholds. Officers and women demonstrated significantly lower rates for elevated thresholds.DiscussionThese findings provide information for personnel planning and assessing military hearing conservation programs.

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