A survey and development of a questionnaire related to assess habits of using personal device, knowledge of hearing loss and attitude of hearing protection in adolescents

The popularity of personal listening devices(PLDs) has increased over past years, especially, in adolescents. Overuses and missuses of PLDs could be the cause of noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). The purposes of this study were (1) to survey middle school students’ habits using PLDs, knowledge of hearing loss and attitude of hearing protection and (2) to develope a questionnaire for assessment of habits using PLDs, knowledge of hearing loss and attitude of hearing protection in adolescents. The 41-item questionnaire was designed and used to survey middle school students’ habits using PLDs, knowledge of hearing loss and attitude of hearing protection. A total of 404 middle school students aged 14-15 years participated in the survey. Most of the students were found to use PLDs soundly. However, 30 % of students used PLDs for more than 3 hours a day. Also, almost all of the students did not understand knowledge of the causes of hearing loss, but showed interests in hearing protection. However, some students had insufficient understanding of the causes of hearing loss and the needs of hearing protection. The results suggest that the development of programs for adolescents’ hearing health is needed.