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Noise-Induced Hearing Loss in Young Adults
Maeve Derrig & Ann Perreau, PhD
Augustana College, Rock Island, IL
 Recommendations from Research Studies
OSHA recommends that a person be exposed to no more
than 85 dBA for eight hours (United States Department of
Labor, 2016).
PLD users should reduce listening time to only one hour a
day at 60% volume level with over-the-ear headphones
and less with insert headphones (SCENIHR, 2008).
 The Problem
Young adults are listening to music at high listening levels
for too many hours, as much as 6.93 hours a day
(Hutchinson et al., 2015).
Habitual PLD users report having tinnitus and trouble
hearing others more often than non-users.
PLD users have shown higher hearing thresholds than nonusers .
Some PLDs can have an output as loud as 125 dBA (Levey
et al., 2012).
50
4
Number of participants
50
10
40
35
25
46
47
20
41
15
10
5
0
40
2
6
45
20
19
19
35
30
25
20
19
15
30
26
10
5
12
0
5
Do you use hearing
protection?
15
10
5
0
Somewhat
Disagree
Neutral
Somewhat
Agree
Totally Agree
Young adults agree that there is a lack of awareness regarding NIHL.
45
30
20
Figure 3. The number of participant responses to the statement, “People need
to be more informed on the dangers of hearing loss due to loud noise
exposure.” Responses were gathered on a five point scale from totally disagree
to totally agree.
 How loud were they listening to their personal listening devices?
 Scale of 1-10: 1= lowest volume setting, 10= highest setting
 Most participants reported the volume setting was set at a moderate range
 5-6=35.3%
 7-8=31.4%
 Additionally, there were some participants that reported listening at a higher volume setting
 9-10= 7.98%
 How long were participants listening to their personal listening devices each day?
 Categories of 1-2 hrs, 2-3 hrs, 3-4 hrs, and 4+ hrs
 Majority (42%) of young adults listen to music for 1-2 hours a day
 14% of the participants listen to their music 4+ hours a day, which is dangerous to their hearing
Research Questions
25
Totally
Disagree
Results
 This research is important because there is a lack of
awareness of NIHL in young adults with regard to personal
listening devices (PLDs) and hearing protection.
30
Do you think using Would you ever consider
hearing protection is
using hearing
important?
protection?
Yes
No
Figure 1. Participants’ perceptions of the importance of hearing
protection, reported as the number of participants answering yes or
no to each item.
 Most participants recognize the importance of
hearing protection, but do not use it. The
majority of participants reportedly would use
hearing projection.
Percieved hearing loss Difficulty hearing others Tinnitus after music and
after music and loud
loud noises
noises
Yes
No
Not sure
Figure 2. Participants’ perceptions of hearing loss, noise
exposure, and tinnitus, reported as the number of
participants answering yes, no, or not sure to each item.
 Most participants reported that they did not
have a hearing loss or were not sure. Most
participants reported symptoms of NIHL
after listening to music and loud sounds.
Hearing Loss Prevention in Young Adults
 More Education is Needed!
 Young adults are unaware of the dangers associated with PLD use. Spreading awareness through
educational programs and campaigns may help reduce the increase in young adults with NIHL.
 Most young adults are only using hearing protection if they have experienced noise-induced hearing
loss.
Number of participants
 Side effects of noise-induced hearing loss:
Tinnitus, difficulty hearing sounds and speech.
 How is the hearing mechanism damaged by noise?
Hair cells bend, break, and buckle due to the excessive
vibration of the basilar membrane. In temporary shift,
there is often a full recovery to normal hearing thresholds
within a few hours. In permanent threshold shift, there is
damage to the inner structures from noise, and the ear
does not fully recover before it becomes damaged again.
Impact of Personal Device Usage
Number of participants
 Purpose of the survey
 To determine students’ attitudes towards noise and related symptoms of NIHL
 Participants
 51 total participants
 Augustana College students (n=44) and high school students(n=7)
 Methods/Materials
 20 item survey that assessed:
 Listening habits
 Attitudes towards listening, hearing loss, and hearing loss prevention
 Use of hearing protection
 What is noise-induced hearing loss?
Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL), or damage to the inner
ear, affects about 23 million Americans (Noise Induced
hearing loss, 2015). Sound levels greater than 85 dBA
are
damaging to the hearing mechanism (Noise
induced hearing loss, 2015).
The purpose of this project was to investigate NIHL in young
adults.
1) What is the impact of personal device use on the hearing of
young adults?
2) Why are young adults avoided hearing protection, and how
can hearing loss prevention be promoted in this population?
Results cont’d
Survey on NIHL
Number of participants
Background
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Totally
Disagree
Somewhat
Disagree
Neutral
Somewhat
Agree
Totally Agree
Figure 4. The number of participant responses to the statement, ”I would
be willing to turn down my music to protect my hearing.” Responses
were gathered on a five point scale from totally disagree to totally agree.
Most young adults are willing to turn down their music to
protect their hearing. They need to be properly educated on
hearing loss prevention.
Conclusion
 Young adults need to be properly educated on NIHL. With
PLDs being so popular, we are facing a new problem in
which young adults may damage their hearing
unknowingly. There are risks associated with PLD use, and
many young adults are unaware of these risks. Further, the
stigma about feeling “embarrassed” when wearing
hearing protection needs to change. This can be done by
educating young adults on the dangers of NIHL and also
the warning signs. For example, if every time a student
listens to their I-pod, they experience ringing in their ears,
the student needs to take more listening breaks and turn
down the volume of the music. NIHL is preventable, and it
starts with protecting your hearing at a young age and
limiting your exposure to loud noises.
References
Hutchinson Marron, K., Marchiondo, K., Stephenson, S., Wagner, S., Cramer, I., Wharton, T., & ... Alessio, H.
(2015). College students’ personal listening device usage and knowledge. International Journal Of Audiology,
54(6), 384-390. doi:10.3109/14992027.2014.986691
Levey, S., Fligor, B. J., Ginocchi, C., & Kagimbi, L. (2012). The effects of noise-induced hearing loss on children and
young adults. Contemporary Issues In Communication Science & Disorders, 3976-83.
Noise-Induced Hearing Loss | NIDCD. (2015, May 15). Retrieved September 07, 2016, from
https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/noise-induced-hearing-loss
SCENIHR (Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly- Identified Health Risks), Scientific opinion on the
potential health risks of exposure to noise from personal music players and mobile phones including a music
playing function, 23 September 2008.
United States, Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (n.d.). OSHA Noise
Regulations. Retrieved from https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/noisehearingconservation/standards.html