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

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 m...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inThe Journal of the Acoustical Society of America Vol. 128; no. 2; p. 646
Main Authors McNeill, Kylie, Keith, Stephen E, Feder, Katya, Konkle, Anne T M, Michaud, David S
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States 01.08.2010
Subjects
Acoustic Stimulation
Adolescent
Female
Habits
Hearing Loss, Noise-Induced - etiology
Hearing Loss, Noise-Induced - prevention & control
Hearing Loss, Noise-Induced - psychology
Humans
Loudness Perception
Male
MP3-Player
Music
Ontario
Risk Assessment
Risk Reduction Behavior
Students - psychology
Surveys and Questionnaires
Time Factors
Universities
Young Adult
Ontario
Online AccessGet more information

Cover

More Information
Summary: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.
ISSN:1520-8524
DOI:10.1121/1.3458853