Reduce noise: Improve the nation's health.

Although noise as a cause of hearing loss and tinnitus among civilian (Hearing health care for adults: Priorities for improving access and affordability, 2016) and military populations (Noise and military service: Implications for hearing loss and tinnitus, 2006) is well known, studies conducted in the past 15 years document that noise exposures negatively affect health by contributing to many diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, obesity, developmental delays, mental illness, and reduced job and academic performance (Basner et al., 2015; Lusk, Gillespie, Hagerty, & Ziemba, 2004; Münzel, Gori, Babisch, & Basner, 2014; Pyko et al., 2015; Ristovska, Laszlo, & Hansell, 2014; Tzivian et al.

Celebrating 40 Years of the Midwest Nursing Research Society.

The Midwest Nursing Research Society (MNRS) recently held its 40th annual conference and celebrated four decades of nursing research in the Midwest. MNRS continues to be one of the largest nursing research societies in the United States. Over the years, a vast majority of programmatic initiatives included education and tangible support for novice and experienced nurse researchers.

Attitudes toward use of hearing protection devices and effects of an intervention on fit-testing results.

This study assessed attitudes toward the use of hearing protection devices (HPDs) and the effect of an educational intervention on fit-testing results by comparing personal attenuation ratings (PAR50) before and after the intervention. Employees (n = 327) from a large metal container manufacturer at four geographic locations were tested with a field attenuation estimation system (FAES) to identify workers (n = 91) requiring intervention. PAR50 values significantly increased from baseline to post-intervention (p < .

Prevalence of hearing loss and accuracy of self-report among factory workers.

Noise represents one of the most common occupational health hazards. A Healthy People 2020 objective aims to reduce hearing loss in the noise-exposed public. The purpose of this study was to describe and compare perceived and measured hearing, and to determine the prevalence of hearing loss among a group of factory workers.

Meta-analysis of workplace physical activity interventions.

Context: Most adults do not achieve adequate physical activity levels. Despite the potential benefits of worksite health promotion, no previous comprehensive meta-analysis has summarized health and physical activity behavior outcomes from such programs. This comprehensive meta-analysis integrated the extant wide range of worksite physical activity intervention research.

Effectiveness of computer-based tailoring versus targeting to promote use of hearing protection.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of 2 computer-based interventions and booster messages on construction workers' use of hearing protection. Construction workers (n = 343) were randomly assigned to receive tailored (addressing individual characteristics) or targeted (addressing shared characteristics) education, with or without booster messages, in an experimental 4-group pretest-post-test design. Post hoc message matching compared the value of tailored and targeted approaches.

Efficacy of a computer-based hearing test and tailored hearing protection intervention.

Advances in computer technology and accessibility enable researchers to provide individually tailored interventions for behavioral change. Using multimedia technology, this study developed and tested a computer-based hearing test and a tailored intervention. The purpose of this study was to evaluate, using a randomized experimental design, the efficacy of the intervention to increase workers' use of hearing protection.

Testing decisional balance and self-efficacy applied to workers' use of hearing protection.

Background: The continued prevalence of low rates of hearing protection device (HPD) use by workers exposed to hazardous noise requires ongoing efforts to investigate ways to increase HPD use.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the utility of the Transtheoretical Model (TTM) for research with factory workers' use of HPDs, specifically focusing on the model suppositions related to the constructs of decisional balance and self-efficacy.

Methods: Using secondary analysis, pretest measures were obtained through a randomized controlled clinical trial of an intervention to increase use of HPDs.

Predictors of hearing protection use for Hispanic and non-Hispanic White factory workers.

The 2000 United States Census reported significant growth in the number of Hispanic workers. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH, 1996) has identified noise-induced hearing loss as a significant occupational threat. Current theoretical models need to be evaluated for their utility with Hispanic workers.

Staging workers' use of hearing protection devices: application of the transtheoretical model.

The threat of noise-induced hearing loss is a serious concern for many workers. This study explores use of the transtheoretical model as a framework for defining stages of workers' acceptance of hearing protection devices. A secondary analysis was performed using a cross-section of data from a randomized, controlled clinical trial of an intervention to increase use of hearing protection.

Comparison of the original and revised structures of the Health Promotion Model in predicting construction workers' use of hearing protection.

Pender's health promotion model (HPM) has been revised, including substantial changes in its structure. The purpose of this study was to compare the fit and predictive usefulness of the original and revised structures of the HPM as applied to the use of hearing protection devices by 703 construction workers. Structural equation modeling was used to evaluate the two alternative forms of the model.

Acute effects of noise on blood pressure and heart rate.

The authors assessed the acute effects of exposure to noise on systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and heart rate, among 46 workers in a midwestern auto assembly plant. Workers wore ambulatory blood pressure monitors and personal noise dosimeters during one work shift. After adjustment for covariates of cardiovascular function, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, along with heart rate, were shown to be significantly positively associated with noise exposure.

Ethnic differences in predictors of hearing protection behavior between Black and White workers.

The purpose of the study is to determine whether there are ethnic differences in predictors of hearing protection behavior between Black and White workers. The Predictors of Use of Hearing Protection Model (PUHPM) derived from Pender's Health Promotion Model (Pender, 1987) was used as a conceptual model. A total of 2,119 (297 Blacks, 1,822 Whites) were included in the analysis.

Selecting control interventions for clinical outcome studies.

In the current research environment the design and management of control groups is becoming more complex. The selection of a control group design is dependent on study goals, presence and quality of existing interventions, urgency of the problem or issue being addressed by the intervention, and factors related to the study site. The purpose of the presentation is to identify various approaches to the design of control groups in experimental studies and to identify their strengths, limitations, and applications.

Relationship of work schedules to gastrointestinal diagnoses, symptoms, and medication use in auto factory workers.

Background: Gastrointestinal (GI) complaints are common in shift workers. This study examines the relationship between work schedules and GI symptoms, medications, and diagnoses.

Methods: In a cross-sectional survey of 343 US auto factory workers, four work schedule variables were examined: assigned shift, number of hours worked, number of night hours, and schedule variability.

Effects of booster interventions on factory workers' use of hearing protection.

Background: The provision of reinforcements or boosters to interventions is seen as a logical approach to enhancing or maintaining desired behavior. Empirical studies, however, have not confirmed the effectiveness of boosters nor assessed the optimum number of boosters or the timing for their delivery.

Objectives: This randomized controlled trial contrasted the effect of four booster conditions (a).

Effectiveness of a tailored intervention to increase factory workers' use of hearing protection.

Background: In the United States it is estimated that more than 30 million workers are exposed to harmful levels of noise on the job. When engineering or administrative controls cannot be used to reduce noise, workers should always use hearing protection devices (HPDs) when exposed to loud noise to prevent noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). Previous research has shown that workers do not always use HPDs when required; therefore, it is essential that workers assume personal responsibility for preventing NIHL by increasing their use of HPDs.

Chronic effects of workplace noise on blood pressure and heart rate.

Environmental noise levels in the United States are increasing, yet there are few studies in which the nonauditory effects of workplace noise are assessed. In the current study, the authors examined chronic effects of noise on blood pressure and heart rate in 374 workers at an automobile plant. Data were collected from subjects prior to the start of their workshift.

Incorporating health services research into nursing doctoral programs.

Despite the successes of the US health care system, problems associated with access, affordability, and quality of care remain to be solved. Health services research (HSR) has the potential to aid nurses in addressing these issues; yet the importance of its inclusion in the academic preparation of nurse researchers has not been consistently recognized. This article discusses the relevance of HSR to nursing, provides a brief review of the history of HSR and its imperatives, and presents rationale for nursing's involvement in HSR.

Preventing noise-induced hearing loss.

Noise-induced hearing loss is a significant, irreversible impairment, but one that is preventable. The numbers of persons, including children, exposed to high noise is increasing, necessitating the use of hearing protection if the noise cannot be reduced to a safe level. The effectiveness of interventions has been tested with select worker groups, but use of hearing protection continues to be less than necessary when in workers are exposed to high noise.