In recent years, the usage of personal music player (PMP) as a music listening tool has been on the rise. PMP is a device that has the function of storing, organizing and playing audio files in digital format (eg: MP3 players, mobile phones and laptops). MP3 players are the most widely chosen listening device due to its small size, affordable price, big storage of songs and longer battery life. In the US, it is reported that 14.5 million units of MP3 players were sold in 2008 (News 27 November 2008). The trend of using one of these gadgets has also spread to Malaysia. It is reported that more than 7.5 million mobile phones valued at over 4.5 billion ringgit was sold in Malaysia in 2010 (Knowledge 2011). Its usage has been increasingly popular, especially among adolescents and young adults. Concerns have been raised regarding its effect on hearing. Especially since the usage of PMP does not come with any guidelines of safe listening habits. Most young users are less concerned regarding the risk of hearing impairment from exposure to loud music via PMP or other sources (Chung et al. 2005; Rawool & Colligon-Wayne 2008; Vogel et al. 2008). Furthermore, adolescents are known to have risky behavior and self-exposure to noise (Bohlin & Erlandsson 2007).
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