Awareness about the relation of noise induced hearing loss and use of headphones at Hail region

BACKGROUND: Noise induced hearing loss is the one of the most preventable causes of hearing loss in all age groups. Occupational, environmental, infectious and genetic factors all play a role in determining the level of hearing loss. However, the use of headphones and personal listening devices is now very common, especially in younger generations. Healthy habits are needed to prevent them from developing hearing loss over time. We aim to assess the awareness level of hearing loss among residents of Hail region and its relation to personal listening devices. METHODOLOGY: This is a cross-sectional survey based study that was conducted in 2021 over a duration of four months. The survey purpose was to assess the level of awareness about the Relation of Noise-Induced Hearing Loss and Use of Headphones. The questionnaire had a total of 37 questions which were divided into 6 categories. All data was analyzed using SPSS 21, and a p-value of <0.05 was deemed significant. RESULTS: The study included a total of 1086 participants. Sampled population age ranged from 18 to 55 years with a mean age of 24.8 ± 12.6 years old. Meanwhile, 636 (58.6%) of the participants were females and 1074 (98.9%) were Saudi. Hearing problems were significantly higher among those who were exposed to noise at work setting than others (26% vs. 15.9%, respectively; P = .001). Duration of the listening session/per day for more than 5 h was significantly associated with higher rates of hearing problems among participants (33.9% vs. 16.5%, respectively = .001). Typical level of TV or radio volume of 90–100 was associated with hearing problems among 32% compared to 11.2% for 0–49% (P = .001). CONCLUSION: There is a low awareness level of hearing loss and its causes among the population with more than half of the respondent having unhealthy habits in listening to sounds through their personal devices. Factors related to develop hearing loss included age, volume level and duration of weekly sessions.