Abstract
Interventions to increase hearing protection behaviours within noisy recreational settings are limited by the lack of an underpinning evidence base. The aim of the present study was to identify targets for interventions in a population exposed to recreational noise, including those who had used hearing protection (ever-performers) versus those who had not (never-performers). A cross-sectional survey was administered to 185 UK adults who had been involved in noisy recreational activities. Participants had an average age of 36.79 years; the majority were women (68.1%), from a white ethnic background (87.6%), and with non-manual occupations (75.7%). Using Chi-square, MANOVA and ANOVA, we looked for differences in sociodemographic variables and variables from the capabilities, opportunities and motivations model of behaviour change (COM-B) between ever- and never-performers. Ever-performers were more likely to be younger (p < 0.050), men (p < 0.050), and in a manual occupation (p < 0.050) compared to never-performers. Although the two groups felt capable and reported similar opportunities to use hearing protection, never-performers lacked automatic motivation (p < 0.001) and reflective motivation (p < 0.001) compared to ever-performers. For the first time, the present study identifies potential groups at whom hearing protection interventions might be targeted and what those interventions may contain. Further work is required to develop interventions targeted at older people, women and those in non-manual occupations. Lack of motivation is a key concern, and further work that uses specific theoretical frameworks, such as the PRIME (Plans, Responses, Impulses, Motives, and Evaluations) theory of motivation, may shed light on the kinds of interventions that are needed to boost hearing protection use effectively.
Highlights
Compared with a nationally representative sample [2], the present sample was almost identical in rates of hearing protection used (ever-performers = 23.7%; never-performers = 76.3%; χ2 (1, N = 7775) = 0.94, p = 0.333) by adults exposed to recreational noise
They were younger (F(1, 10,584) = 3287.007, p < 0.050), more likely to be women (χ2 (1, N = 10,495) = 21.82, p < 0.050), more likely to report a white ethnic background (χ2 (1, N = 10,582) = 5.85, p < 0.050) and more likely to be in a non-manual occupation (χ2 (1, N = 10,599) = 108.10, p < 0.050)
Comparable with nationally representative data [2], among adults exposed to recreational noise, the number of never-performers (76.3%, n = 141) exceeded ever-performers (23.7%, n = 44), and with only 4.3% (n = 8) “always” using hearing protection, 2.7% (n = 5) “often”, 8.6%
Summary
Hearing loss is ranked third in total years lived with a disability, ahead of both diabetes and asthma [1]. Exposure to excess recreational noise (e.g., amplified music, sports-related noise, power tools, but excluding headphones/earphones because mitigation strategies differ) is common [2] and a major contributor to hearing loss and tinnitus [3] that can be mitigated through the use of hearing protection [4,5]. It has been estimated that just 2% of the UK adult population always used hearing protection during noisy recreational activities [2]. A recent systematic review concluded that the lack of a basic evidence base undermined the effectiveness of interventions aimed at increasing
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