Several researchers have suggested the prevalence of noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is increasing among secondary school students. Causes include exposure to loud music and toys, firearms, power tools, fireworks, snowmobiles, Jet Skis, motorcycles and, especially, personal stereo systems (e.g., iPods, MP3 players, CD players) played at loud volumes. Although teachers and audiologists in some school districts have addressed this problem, many secondary schools do not have personnel with adequate time and expertise to educate students about protecting their hearing. The purpose of this study was to develop, implement, and evaluate a hearing conservation program offered during recruitment of local, high school students to a USA university. Specifically, faculty in the university's College of Health Professions offered 20-minute presentations about their discipline during open houses to recruit high school students. This included two audiologists from the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) who presented 32, interactive, hearing conservation sessions to about 800 students divided into groups of 10 to 30 students. The presentation was entitled, "You Only Have Two Ears: Protecting Hearing of Teenagers." Each group learned about basic anatomy of the ear, listened to a recorded simulation of NIHL; tried different hearing protection devices; and measured sound intensities of their personal stereo systems. Verbal and written comments by students indicated improvements in their knowledge and attitudes toward protecting their hearing. We are continuing and refining this hearing conservation program to educate local secondary school students about protecting their hearing while simultaneously recruiting some of them into their programs.
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