Introduction:-Technology is moving ahead day by day, leaving us all confined in splendour and comfort with many unknown bad effects on Health.The popularity of using earphones/headphones is being increased dramatically over a period of time. Headphones or Earphones are one such technology that is being used by youngsters but everyone today without knowing the health effects associated with it.The usage of earphones for longer duration and at levels that may have a risk for hearing loss in some listeners, particularly those who are using ear bud earphones.
If you can hear the sound being delivered into a person’s ear through headphones or earphones, it indicates the sound is too loud and over a longer period of time can lead to permanent hearing loss. The louder the volume, the shorter should your duration be. At maximum volume, you should listen for few minutes a day. When you use headphones or earphones, the sound directly goes into your ear.
Volume exceeding 90 decibels can result in hearing problems and even hearing loss. All those who wear headphones for longer durations are at a higher risk of hearing loss. If anyone listens for more than 100 decibels for even 15 minutes, they may have hearing loss. So if you have to use headphone or earphones, make sure you give your ears some rest and do not listen to music in high volume at any cost.People who use earphones or headphones most of the time in the day to hear loud music will feel numb ears.Aim:- To create an awareness among the college students about the excessive usage of earphones and their effects.Objective:- To determine the effects of excessive usage of headphonesMaterials and Methods :- A questionnaire was prepared. The survey was conducted among the students of saveetha dental college, Chennai and the data was collected.
The survey was prepared on survey planet and was circulated among the students.The questionnaire consists of 10 questions related to the survey.The survey was conducted among 120 students.
Results & Discussion:- Generally most of the college students were aware about he hearing health but could use the information about the symptoms of and how to prevent hearing loss.(4)Three- fourth of the students were using headphones, but not at the levels or for durations that should show excessive risks for hearing loss, when listening in a quiet environment. However most of the headphones users could be at the risk of hearing loss given a combination of common practices.The table below shows the questions, responses for the questions, number of people for each response, and the percentage of people for each response for each question.
Questions Response Number Percentage (%)1) Do you listen to music using Earphones or a loud speaker? Earphones Loudspeaker None 90236 75.6%19.3%5%2) For how many hours a day do you listen to music? 1-2hrs More than 2hrsLess than 1hrNone 20 71 253 16.8%59.7%21%2.5%3) How often are you in Noisy settings? RarelyFrequently Always Never 3552276 29.
2%43.3%22.5%5%4) Do you think that hearing loss caused by noise can be prevented?• YesNo Maybe I don’t know 5516399 46.2%13.
4%32.8%7.6%5) How often do you have ringing in your ears? Always NeverRarely Frequently 3036504 25%30%41.7%3.3%6) Do you think ringing in the ears is a warning sign for overexposure to potentially hazardous sound? Yes No Maybe I don’t know 5919348 49.
215.8%28.3%6.7%7) How often do other people’s voice , sound muffled or mumbled to you?• Always Never Frequently Rarely 29293227 24.8%24.8%27.4%23.
18%8) Is having to turn up the volume on TV’s or radio’s a sign of hearing loss? Yes NoMaybe I don’t know 45164712 37.5%13.3%39.2%10%9) How often do you have to turn up the volume on the TV or radio in order to hear better? Always NeverFrequently Rare 34283918 28.6%23.5%32.8%15.
18%10) Rate your hearing on a 1- 10 scale below, where 1= The worst possible hearing 10=The best possible hear 12345678910 2220717432215 10 1.7%1.7%1.7%05.8%14.2%35.8%18.
3%12.5%8.3% A total of 120 students responded for the online survey. About 90 students(75.6%) of 120 use headphones to listen to music. Most of the students spend for about more than two hours a day listening to music.
59.7% of the students listen to music for more than two hours. Even if people are not using the headphones frequently, the hearing loss also depends upon how often a person is in a noisy environment.52 students (43.3%) tend to be more often in noisy setting which may cause a hearing loss. Hearing loss caused due to noise can be recovered but that would be a temporary treatment. Prevention would always be better than cure. Most of the students think that the hearing loss can be prevented.
In the initial stages of hearing loss, the most appeared symptom is having ringing in your ears. According to this survey students have experienced this rarely .i.
e. Only 30 students(25%) have experienced more often. The other symptom would be hearing other’s voice or sound muffled or mumbled.
Most of them intend to increase the Television or radio volume as they are used to being in noisy settings. Most of the students frequently increase the volume of the Television or radio .i.e.
39 students( 32.8%). The students were asked to rate their hearing on a scale of one to ten, where one is the worst possible hearing and ten is the best possible hearing.
The results showed that most of the students rated their hearing as “7”. For about 43 students(35.8%) have rated their hearing as 7 on the scale and 22 students(18.3%) have rated their hearing as 8 on the scale.Very less number of students have a perfect hearing.
10 students(8.3%) have rated their hearing as 10 on the scale of one to ten.Comparative analysis:- This survey says that most of the youngsters use earphones or headphones for longer duration of time. This is tallying with the other articles which prove that most of the youngsters are at the risk of hearing loss. Even if the students do not use earphones or headphones, they lead to hearing problems and ear drum damage as they are frequently surrounded by noisy setting. The articles says that most of them are unaware that the hearing loss can be prevented. This survey says that for about 50% of the students are aware of the precautions and prevalence of hearing loss. Most of them believe is the saying “prevention is better than cure”.
Due to the exposure of the ears to noise for longer durations, about 60%of them find ringing in their ears which is an important signal to take care of yourself. But according to this survey, this statement is true as most of them find ringing in their ears frequently. Mumbling is one of the wading sign for the ears which cannot be neglected.Mumbling was not seen much in the students, as there’s a limit for the time duration they are exposed to sound. Sound is measured in decibels.
If anyone listens for more than 100 decibels, even for fifteen minutes, they might have hearing loss. On the scale one to ten, most of them rated at seven, which is a normal rate of hearing where one is the worst possible hearing and ten is the best quality hearing.Key words:- college students, headphones, noise exposure, loud noises, hearing healthConclusion:- Most of the students of Saveetha Dental College should not be at great risk of hearing loss from their headphones when used continuously. Some concern is warranted for a small segment of these students who seemed to be most at the risk because they use the headphones at high volume levels for long durations, and few of them may already have a hearing loss due to their excessive use.
