Half of baby boomers experiencing hearing loss

Hearing loss is much more prevalent among Baby Boomers than previously believed.

A study found that 38 million Americans aged between 40 and 59 years experience various degrees of hearing difficulties. But only a minority seeks medical attention and treatment. "This study indicates that Baby Boomers are losing their hearing at a more rapid pace than past generations," said Dr. Michael Glasscock of The EAR Foundation, a co-sponsor of the study along with the company, Clarity. The study included 437 randomly selected people aged between 40 and 59 years. They were interviewed by phone or responded to questionnaires on the Internet. Earlier studies estimated that 20 percent or some 16 million Americans in the baby boomer generation suffer from hearing problems. Yet, the majority of these fail to seek medical attention. Just about one third had their hearing tested even if one half of them find that their hearing problem interferes with their family life. About one third reported problems hearing and understanding a telephone conversation. Most of those reporting hearing problems believe that their hearing loss was primarily caused by noise in their workplace or leisure pursuits. "Baby Boomers are the first generation of rock and roll. They have a very active lifestyle and they are used to getting what they want, from careers to family to recreation. This lifestyle lends itself to experiencing an increased amount of noise and that is why we believe Boomers have encountered more noise pollution than any other generation", said Dr. Glasscock. Source: prnewswire.com, 14.10.2004