Correlates of knowledge and habits on safe listening to personal listening devices: the case of multinomial regression analysis on risk of hearing loss

Abstract

Background: Personal listening devices (PLDs) expose about half of young adults to hazardous sound levels. More than a billion young adults are at risk of hearing impairment due to their styles of listening habits. Methods: A cross-section study design was used to collect data from university students in the Iringa region of Tanzania. Usage of PLDs was the outcome variable and was measured using nominal categories of never, somewhat and frequently used PLDs. Results: More than 3-quarters of respondents knew that using PLDs at loud levels can damage hearing. Significant associations were observed between the frequency of using PLDs and being aware that students should decrease the volume of PLDs rather than limiting listening time to reduce the risk of hearing loss. The relative risk ratio of being aware that it is not dangerous to use PLDs while driving was 65.5% less likely among second year compared to first-year students (95% confidence interval, 0.012–0.731). Conclusion: The knowledge students have demonstrated about impairment upon using PLDs should be disseminated to higher learning institutions to raise awareness of the impact of using PLDs at loud volumes.