Total leisure noise exposure and its association with hearing loss among adolescents

Abstract

Objective: To investigate total leisure noise exposure among adolescents and to assess its association with hearing. Design: Based on self-reported time spent on 19 leisure activities and associated mean sound pressure levels reported in the literature, total leisure noise exposure was evaluated and compared to noise at work limits (> 85 dB(A) = hazardous) in a cross-sectional survey. Tympanometry and pure-tone audiometry was performed in sound isolated rooms. Study sample: The study sample consists of 2143 pupils attending grade nine in any school in a German city 2009–2011 (mean age: 15.4 years; range: 13–19 years). Audiometric data were available for 1837 (85.8%) pupils (53.9% girls). Results: 41.9% of the 2143 adolescents who had provided self-reported data on leisure activities associated with noise exposure were estimated to be hazardously exposed to leisure time noise. The interaction of gender with total leisure time noise exposure was not significant. No association between leisure time noise exposure and audiometric notches could be detected. Conclusion: While hearing loss seems seldom in this age group, a high proportion of adolescents aged 15–16 years are exposed to noise levels during leisure time bearing long-term risks of hearing loss.

Key Words::

• Adolescent
• hearing loss
• noise
• leisure time

Acknowledgements

The authors thank all pupils and parents for participating in the survey, Christine Fleischmann, Gerlinde Kammerl, Susan Kerta, and Katrin Rau for the high quality of the audiometric assessments, and Angelika Zirngibl for excellent data management. This project was funded by the Bavarian Ministry of the Environment and Health.

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Supplementary material available online

Supplementary Figures 1–3 and Tables 1–4 to be found online at http://informahealthcare.com/doi/abs/10.3109/14992027.2015.1030510.