The influence of the use of earphones in the of young people’s hearing

Abstract

Abstract Background Listening music is extremely important in our day life, but studies indicate that young people who use earphones for long periods tend to develop hearing problems. The aim of this study was to evaluate the hearing of young people who use earphones to listen to music very often and occasionally, and observe if there are differences between them. Methods The sample was composed by 2 groups (n = 15 in each) of young people, students in higher education (18–24 years) who use earphones to listen music every week, with Group 1 using earphones occasionally and Group 2 very often. Otoscopy, pure tone audiogram (PTA: 0.125–8 kHz), high frequencies (HF: 9–12.5 kHz) and distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs: 2–10 kHz) was performed. Results There were statistically significant differences between groups in PTA (0.125 and 0.5 kHz in right ear - RE) and DPOAEs (7.5, 8.3, 9.1 and 10 kHz in RE and 6.2, 7.5, 10 kHz in left ear), being the means of hearing thresholds (PTA and HF) higher and the means of the DPOAE’s amplitudes lower in Group 2, in most frequencies. Despite all individuals had normal hearing thresholds in PTA, in HF at 11.2 KHz in RE, the mean of threshold in Group 2 was over 20 dBHL. Conclusions The differences found between groups can be a warning sign for future hearing loss in young people who use earphones very often to listen to music, so it is important to raise awareness among young people for the prevention of hearing loss and change behaviours.