Association between mobile phone use and hearing impairment: a systematic review and meta-analysis

{
  "publication_year": null,
  "study_type": "meta_analysis",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "RF",
    "source": "mobile phone",
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": null
  },
  "population": null,
  "sample_size": 92978,
  "outcomes": [
    "Hearing impairment"
  ],
  "main_findings": "This systematic review and meta-analysis included five observational studies (two cross-sectional and three cohort) totaling 92,978 participants. The pooled estimate showed no significant association between mobile phone use and hearing impairment (overall OR 1.07, 95% CI 0.94–1.20), with similarly non-significant results in cross-sectional and cohort strata.",
  "effect_direction": "no_effect",
  "limitations": [
    "Included evidence was limited to five observational studies.",
    "Authors note findings should be interpreted with caution.",
    "Exposure characteristics (e.g., frequency, SAR, duration) are not detailed in the abstract."
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "high",
  "confidence": 0.86,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "stance": "reassurance",
  "stance_confidence": 0.78,
  "summary": "This systematic review and meta-analysis assessed whether mobile phone use is associated with hearing impairment. Five observational studies (two cross-sectional and three cohort) with 92,978 participants were included. The pooled results indicated no significant association overall or within study-design strata. The authors state the findings should be interpreted with caution.",
  "key_points": [
    "The paper is a systematic review and meta-analysis following MOOSE methodology.",
    "Searches were conducted in multiple databases including PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, OVID, and Cochrane.",
    "Risk of bias/quality was assessed using the ROBINS-I tool.",
    "Five observational studies (2 cross-sectional, 3 cohort) totaling 92,978 participants were included.",
    "No significant association was found in cross-sectional studies (OR 0.94) or cohort studies (OR 1.09).",
    "The overall pooled estimate suggested no significant association between mobile phone use and hearing impairment (OR 1.07).",
    "The authors caution that the findings should be interpreted carefully."
  ],
  "categories": [
    "Health Effects",
    "Hearing"
  ],
  "tags": [
    "Systematic Review",
    "Meta-Analysis",
    "Mobile Phones",
    "Radiofrequency Exposure",
    "Hearing Impairment",
    "Observational Studies",
    "Cohort Studies",
    "Cross-Sectional Studies",
    "ROBINS-I"
  ],
  "keywords": [
    "mobile phone",
    "hearing impairment",
    "systematic review",
    "meta-analysis",
    "MOOSE",
    "ROBINS-I",
    "cohort",
    "cross-sectional",
    "odds ratio"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "cell-phones",
      "weight": 0.95,
      "reason": "Focuses on mobile phone use as the exposure."
    }
  ],
  "social": {
    "tweet": "Meta-analysis of 5 observational studies (n=92,978) found no significant association between mobile phone use and hearing impairment (pooled OR 1.07, 95% CI 0.94–1.20); authors note results should be interpreted with caution.",
    "facebook": "A systematic review and meta-analysis of five observational studies (92,978 participants) reported no significant association between mobile phone use and hearing impairment overall or by study design, while noting the findings should be interpreted with caution.",
    "linkedin": "Systematic review and meta-analysis (5 observational studies; n=92,978) found no significant association between mobile phone use and hearing impairment (pooled OR 1.07, 95% CI 0.94–1.20), with similar results in cross-sectional and cohort studies; authors advise cautious interpretation."
  }
}