MP3 player listening habits of 17 to 23 year old university students

Abstract

This study evaluated the potential risk to hearing associated with the use of portable digital audio players. Twenty-eight university students (12 males, 16 females; aged 17-23) completed a 49-item questionnaire assessing user listening habits and subjective measures of hearing health. Sound level measurements of participants' self-identified typical and 'worst case' volume levels were taken in different classrooms with background sound levels between 43 and 52 dBA. The median frequency and duration of use was 2 h per day, 6.5 days a week. The median sound levels and interquartile ranges (IQR) at typical and 'worst case' volume settings were 71 dBA (IQR=12) and 79 dBA (IQR=9), respectively. When typical sound levels were considered with self-reported duration of daily use, none of the participants surpassed Leq(8) 85 dBA. On the questionnaire, 19 students reported experiencing at least one symptom of possible noise-induced hearing loss. Significant differences in MP3 user listening patterns were found between respondents who had experienced tinnitus and those who had not. The findings add to a growing body of literature that collectively supports a need for further research investigating MP3 player user listening habits in order to assess their potential risk to hearing health.

Daily music exposure dose and hearing problems using personal listening devices in adolescents and young adults: A systematic review

“…For example, Vogel et al (2010) reports that males are more likely to select higher PLLs than females, which is supported by McNeill et al (2010) reporting male PLLs to be a median of 7dBA higher than those of females. Le Prell et al (2011) also found that males using PLDs had significantly elevated hearing thresholds compared to females.…”

“…Additionally, the other possible influential factor appears to be gender differences for both PLLs and durations of use (Le Prell et al, 2011, Vogel et al, 2010, McNeill et al, 2010. For example, Vogel et al (2010) reports that males are more likely to select higher PLLs than females, which is supported by McNeill et al (2010) reporting male PLLs to be a median of 7dBA higher than those of females.…”

“…It is noteworthy that no participants exceed this noise dose in the presence of background noise at 43-52dBA in the study by McNeill et al (2010). This discrepancy may be attributed to the PLL measurement methodology, as this study failed to blind the participants to the volume control display.…”

“…This discrepancy may be attributed to the PLL measurement methodology, as this study failed to blind the participants to the volume control display. Subjects may have used visual cues to select a volume level, rather than to reflect the true PLLs based on sound perception alone (Sulaiman et al, 2013, Lee et al, 2014, McNeill et al, 2010 as a result of apprehension to be assessed (Kantowitz et al, 2014). It may also threaten the reliability of estimating/calculating the daily noise dose, as it depends on self-reported listening durations, which may be underestimated.…”

Prevenção da perda auditiva no contexto escolar frente ao ruído de lazer

“…Hearing loss caused by leisure activities with loud noise has been growing substantially in young populations (1,2,3) , causing concern among researchers (3,4,5,6,7,8) . Exposure to high sound pressure levels in leisure activities has been placing at risk the hearing of young individuals throughout the world.…”