Self-report and long-term field measures of MP3 player use: How accurate is self-report?

Abstract

Objective: This study was designed to evaluate the usage patterns of portable listening device (PLD) listeners, and the relationships between self-report measures and long-term dosimetry measures of listening habits. Design: This study used a descriptive correlational design. Study sample: Participants (N = 52) were 18–29 year old men and women who completed surveys. A randomly assigned subset (N = 24) of participants had their listening monitored by dosimetry for one week. Results: Median weekly noise doses reported and measured through dosimetry were low (9–93%), but 14.3% of participants reported exceeding a 100% noise dose weekly. When measured by dosimetry, 16.7% of participants exceeded a 100% noise dose weekly. The self-report question that best predicted the dosimetry-measured dose asked participants to report listening duration and usual listening level on a visual-analog scale. Conclusions: This study reports a novel dosimetry system that can provide accurate measures of PLD use over time. When not feasible, though, the self-report question described could provide a useful research or clinical tool to estimate exposure from PLD use. Among the participants in this study, a small but substantial percentage of PLD users incurred exposure from PLD use alone that increases their risk of music-induced hearing loss.

Key Words::

• Hearing conservation
• noise
• behavioral measures
• psychoacoustics/hearing science

Acknowledgements

The authors of this study would like to thank Deanna Meinke and Jim Kates for their technical help in designing and creating the dosimetry system. Thanks also go to Brenda Schick and Angela Bryan for their help in study design. And finally, the authors want to extend specific appreciation to the paper reviewers, Warwick Williams and Stephen Keith, who provided many comments to improve this paper.

Declaration of interest: Funding for parts of this study was provided by a Student Research Grant from the National Hearing Conservation Association and from a Beverly Sears Graduate Research Grant from the University of Colorado at Boulder.