The relation between hearing loss and sustainable employability of teachers

Abstract

Abstract Background Teachers need to hear well. Hearing loss (HL) hinders their daily work. HL is associated with burn-out, depression, sick leave and disability. New retirement policies in The Netherlands encourage people to work longer. Consequently, age-related HL will be an increasing occupational health problem, especially in communicative work such as teaching. Aim of the present study was to examine the relationship between HL and sustainable employability of teachers. Methods We invited teachers to participate in an internet survey. Sustainable employability was measured with the reliable and valid Capability Set for Work Questionnaire. Secondary outcome measures were work ability, self-rated health and sick leave. To determine HL among teachers, we used an online speech-in-noise screening test, supplemented with 4 questions about hearing. Ordinal logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine the associations of HL with sustainable employability, work ability, self-rated health and sick leave, adjusted for age, gender, level of education, current hours at work, work content (teaching or a mix of teaching and other tasks) and working as gymnastics teacher. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated. Results Of the participating N = 801 teachers, N = 521 had normal hearing and N = 280 had hearing loss. HL was associated with a lower capability set (OR 0.56, CI 0.42-0.73), lower work ability (OR 0.34, CI 0.26-0.46), poorer self-rated health (OR 0.41, CI 0.30-0.55) and a non-significant trend towards more sick leave (OR 1.34, CI 0.98-1.85) as compared to normal hearing. Conclusions Hearing loss in teachers was negatively associated with sustainable employability. This underlines the importance of assessing the hearing status of teachers, because of age-related HL especially in those aged 50+. Teachers with HL should be advised on supportive measures, e.g. hearing aids, improved acoustics in the workplace and tasks with less oral communication. Key messages Measuring the hearing status, e.g. in periodical health examinations, is highly advisable for sustained employability of teachers. Teachers with hearing loss should be counselled on possible interventions to support them in their work.