Hearing Acuity among Commercial Motorcyclists (Okada Riders) in the Main Campus of Abia State University Uturu Abia State Nigeria

The test population consisted of 200 motorcycle operators who had been in the vocation for at least a year. Commercial motorcycle operation has played significant roles in meeting peoples’ transportation need, especially in certain strategic locations of urban and rural settlements. At the same time, the control group was derived from the staff and students of Abia State University, Uturu, who were sex and age-matched and exposed to low noise levels. Findings indicated that the noise levels at the operational location of the test population (commercial motorcycle park) was significantly (P<0.001) higher than that recorded at the control site (classrooms and environs). The study found that the hearing threshold of the right and left ears of the test group was significantly (P<0.001) higher than that reported for the control group at all the frequencies tested for both air and bone conductions. This study also showed that the frequency of symptoms associated with high levels of noise was significantly (P<0.001) higher in the test group (motorcycle operators) compared to their control counterparts (staff and students of ABSU). The study also revealed that while 75% of the test population had impaired hearing acuity, only 45% of the control population had the same problem. The test subjects had a higher frequency of symptoms associated with prolonged exposure to excessive noise levels than the control subjects.In conclusion, it was established through this study that commercial motorcycle operators within the main campus of Abia State University, Uturu are exposed to excessive noise levels which predisposes them to hearing impairment.