Improving the Level of Ear Health Literacy in Teenager: Policy Brief

Abstract

According to the World Health Organization, 360 million people worldwide have disabling hearing loss. Of these, 32 million people are hard hearing or deaf under the age of 15. According to the studies, many hearing defects could be avoided through prevention, early detection, and proper management. Studies show that the improper use of music players harms hearing. So that, the threshold of damage to Cochlear hair cells is reduced in people who listen to music at least for a year for > 1 h/day, at > 50% of the maximum volume setting. However, noise-induced hearing loss has been increasing among young people and adolescents who are exposed to noise from recreational situations and music playback devices. This may be due to a lack of awareness or misconceptions about the effects of noise exposure. Therefore, it seems necessary to create new approaches that aim to maintain and improve ear and hearing health, prevent ear diseases and manage them.

Keywords

• teenagers
• hands-free
• health literacy
• hearing