It is important to maintain the interconnected content of the Dangerous Decibels program in order to obtain positive changes in knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and behaviors regarding hearing health. Each learning activity builds on the next and provides the critical information and experience in order to make a difference in the students you teach.

So, how do we know if we’re making a difference?
Scientific experiments were done to measure changes in knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and intended behaviors in elementary school students. These studies are published in peer-reviewed scientific journals. A partial listing is provided in the Resources at the end of this online training program for those who might be interested.

In these experiments students are asked questions before the Dangerous Decibels Program is given, then asked the same questions again, immediately after participating in the program and again 3 months later. These results are then compared to a group of students that do not receive the program until after the experiment is completed.

Very strong improvements are obtained regardless of whether the program is taught by a school nurse or a high school student. You can see that all the students started out with low scores on the questionnaire (6-13% correct), but after receiving the Dangerous Decibels program, the scores skyrocketed (73-87% correct). Three months later the scores regressed slightly (60-73% correct) for the students who received the program. The upcoming training module on “BOOSTERS” will show you some resources to keep the improvement sustained over time or perhaps increase it further.