College students' personal listening device usage and knowledge

Objective: To determine the usage and knowledge of safe limits on personal listening devices (PLD) among college students. Design: First, information on health history was collected. Second, microphone in real ear techniques determined eardrum to free-field correction factors. Third, hearing levels were evaluated and information gathered about knowledge of safe listening behaviors. Study sample: 180 college students participated in a one-hour session using their PLDs and earphones set to their personal preference. Results: Virtually all participants reported knowledge of hearing loss risk due to PLD use and accurately recognized their own PLD listening levels (p = .01) as either within or exceeding safe sound limits. Forty-four subjects listened at greater than 80-dBA free-field equivalent levels. Only 7% of these participants were aware of these hazardous levels and 15% of participants' exposure surpassed free-field equivalent levels normalized to eight hours. Conclusions: Despite reported knowledge of hearing loss risk due to PLD use in virtually all college students, 1 in 4 were found to listen to their PLDs at free-field equivalent levels greater than 80-dBA, with 94% unaware of their potential risk. Further research is needed to provide accurate PLD listening information and evaluate the possibility of long term PLD intensities that surpass recommended safety levels on hearing loss in adults over time.