Os conhecimentos de estudantes sobre os prejuízos à saúde auditiva decorrentes do uso de fone de ouvidos

Abstract

Objective: To verify the knowledge of young people and adolescents about the harm caused by the inappropriate use of headphones. Method: 51 students from the city of São Paulo participated, aged between 12 and 18 years. They answered a questionnaire sent digitally, after accepting the Free and Clarified Consent Term and accepting the Free and Clarified Term of Assent. The collected data were analyzed qualitatively, with a descriptive character. Results: Fifty-one questionnaires were analyzed, with a prevalence of females (70.6%) corresponding to 36 participants and 15 (29.4%) of males. Among the participants, 98% demonstrate knowledge about hearing loss and its relationship with the use of headphones, and of these, 29.4% claim to experience earache and/or headache after using the equipment. Most participants reported knowing the main ways to prevent hearing disorders resulting from the inappropriate use of the aforementioned accessory, with 41.2% believing that they can mitigate the harmful consequences by reducing the volume of electronic equipment, 39.2% reducing the time of use of headphones and 19.6% opting for external headphones (over the ear). Conclusions: Although the study showed that the students had previous knowledge about hearing damage resulting from the misuse of headphones, most of them reported having habits considered harmful to the integrity of the auditory system.

Descriptors: hearing aids, hearing, hearing loss, teenagers.