Perception of hearing loss among call center workers in Barranquilla (Northern Colombia)

The perception of hearing loss and listening effort was investigated among call center agents in Barranquilla (2025), a high-demand, noisy environment. This was a cross-sectional observational study with convenience sampling. Fifty-five valid questionnaires from workers with ≥3 months of seniority and headphone use were analyzed. The instrument, adapted from the HHIA, QSHL, and a THI module, included 18 items (No/Sometimes/Yes) recoded 0–2 for a score of 0–36 (α=0.71). Frequencies and descriptive statistics were estimated. The mean score was 16.04 (SD=9.27); 85.5% had ≥1 affirmative response, and 20.0% reported tinnitus at the end of the shift. The highest proportions of “Yes” responses were observed for requests for repetitions, difficulty understanding with floor noise, anxiety under high workloads, and concern about performance and possible hearing impairment. This profile suggests speech intelligibility deficits in noise and high cognitive load with preserved clinical thresholds, consistent with listening effort frameworks and subclinical pathophysiology.