Headphone/Earphone Usage Practices and its Health Effects among College going Students: A Cross-Sectional Study from South India

Abstract

Introduction: Noise induced hearing loss is one of the most common public health problems occurring due to use of headsets.The usage of earphone/ headphone has been increasingly used in the recent times due to online learning. Objective: To determine the usage practices of headphone/earphone and associated effects among college students of Tamil Nadu.Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted among college students in Tamil Nadu from January to February 2022. Snowball sampling technique was used, and 640 students respondedto a pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire circulated through online platform. Results:Out of 640 students, 57.1% were female students, 71.5% students used earphones for less than 5 hours, 32.5% students cleaned earphone daily, 46.6% didn’t share their earphone, whereas 83.1% of students experienced at least one symptom or sign on using earphone. Conclusion: Due to online learning, earphone usage and its effects was increased among students in our study, so awareness about rational use of earphones is much needed among the younger generations.

Keywords

• ear symptoms
• earphones/ headphones
• online learning
• students