Citation

Weichbold V, Zorowka P. Int. J. Audiol. 2003; 42(8): 489-493.

Affiliation

Department of Hearing Voice and Speech Disorders, University Hospital Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria. (viktor.weichbold@uklibk.ac.at)

Copyright

(Copyright © 2003, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

14658857

Abstract

This study investigated whether a hearing

education campaign would prompt adolescents to display hearing-protective

behaviour when attending a discotheque. A sample of 169 high-school students

participated in the campaign. A questionnaire was administered to them before

and 1 year after the campaign, asking for the frequency of discotheque

attendance within the past 6 months, and whether they used earplugs in the

discotheque. The percentage of subjects who went to discotheques more than 10

times within 6 months decreased from 34% to 24% after the campaign. The overall

difference between pre- and post-campaign frequencies of discotheque attendance,

however, was not significant. The percentage of subjects using earplugs in the

discotheque rose from 0% before to 3.7% after the campaign. In essence, the

campaign had little effect in inducing hearing-protective behaviour in

adolescents when attending discotheques. The need for sound level limitations in

discotheques is highlighted.