Newsletter and Blogs
March 3rd is World Hearing DayExternal! Did you know that 48 million people in the United States have trouble hearing with one (or both) of their ears?
Over time, being around too much loud noise can make you lose your hearing — and once it’s gone, you can’t get it back. Teens and young adults are often at risk for noise-induced hearing loss, but may not be aware of the level of noise that can damage their hearing.
The good news is there are ways to prevent noise-induced hearing loss, so you can stay safe while still doing the things you love. This World Hearing Day, talk with teens and young adults about ways to protect their hearing, like avoiding loud noises when possible and using earplugs or noise-cancelling headphones when around loud noises.
Visit https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/hearing_loss/default.html to learn more about noise-induced hearing loss.
On October 19, 2018 CDC released a Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) entitled, “Use of Personal Hearing Protection Devices at Loud Athletic or Entertainment Events Among Adults – United States, 2018.”
What’s new (from MMWR):
- CDC analyzed data from the 2018 SpringStyles, a cross‐sectional, national online marketing survey
- Overall, more than four of five U.S. adults 18 years or older (81.8%) reported never or seldom wearing a hearing protection device (HPD) when attending a loud athletic or entertainment event.
- The majority who never or seldom wore HPDs at these types of events were female (54.4%), non-Hispanic white (65.1%) or lived in a metropolitan area (86.5%). Adults who were more likely to wear an HPD (most of the time or always) at a loud athletic or entertainment event had at least some college education (63.8%) and had household incomes of ≥$75,000 (49.1%.
- Adults aged ≥35 years were significantly more likely to not wear HPDs than were young adults aged 18–24 years.
- Among adults who frequently enjoy attending sporting events as a leisure-time activity, females were twice as likely to seldom or never wear HPDs (OR = 2.0) than were males.
- Adults with hearing impairment or with a deaf or hard-of-hearing household member were significantly more likely to wear HPDs than were those without hearing impairment in a household member or themselves.
- Sound intensity at recreational events can easily reach hazardous levels and might remain high for the duration of the event, increasing the risk of hearing damage. Research by both the Environmental Protection Agency and the World Health Organization shows that 24-hour exposure to 70 decibels (dB) or less would prevent most hearing loss in adults.
Key Points:
- Sound levels at loud athletic or entertainment events are often above safe levels
- Most adults, especially women, do not wear hearing protection at loud events
- Still, individuals younger than 35 years of age are more likely to wear hearing protection than those above 35 years of age.
People can protect their hearing by:
- Use earplugs, protective ear muffs, noise canceling earphones when near loud noises.
- Increase distance from source of noise and take frequent breaks.
Here’s something you know:
Noise is all around us – at school, at home, and everywhere in between.
But what about this?
Being around too much loud noise can make you lose your hearing.
And once it’s gone, you can’t get it back.
- 5 in 10 young people listen to their music or other audio too loudly
- 4 in 10 young people are around dangerously loud noises during events like concerts and sports games
- 48 million people in the U.S. have trouble hearing with one (or both) of their ears
Ready for the good news?
You can protect your hearing – and still do all the things you love.
- Turn down the volume on your headphones
- Try to stay away from loud noises
- Use earplugs when you’re around loud noises
Visit www.cdc.gov/nceh/hearing_loss/ to learn more.
Protect the Future of Hearing – Spread the Word About World Hearing Day!
March 3rd is World Hearing DayExternal – a day to raise awareness globally on how to prevent hearing loss and promote healthy hearing. More than 48 million Americans have trouble hearing with one (or both) of their ears – and once your hearing is gone, you can’t get it back.
The good news? There are simple steps you can take to protect your hearing and still do the things you love! Avoiding loud noises when possible, turning the volume down, and wearing ear protection are all easy ways to help keep your ears healthy.
We can use World Hearing Day to share tips and resources about protecting hearing and preventing hearing loss. Anyone can help spread the word – here’s some ways you can participate:
- Check out this interactive infographic to learn how loud different sounds are
- Listen to this podcast for tips on how to protect your ears
- Watch this video to learn more about noise-induced hearing loss
- Visit this website for more resources
Together, we can help prevent hearing loss!