How Common is the Problem: 1. NIHL in Teens
1Noise-Induced Hearing Loss in Teens
Noise-induced hearing loss is a problem for people of ALL ages.Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) and related tinnitus pose significant health risks to hundreds of millions of children and adults around the globe. Exposure to hazardous noise leads to the most common preventable cause of hearing loss.
Noise-Induced Hearing Loss in Youth is a Long-Standing Problem
Noise-induced hearing loss was first reported by a scientist named Loch in 1943 who evaluated the hearing of high school students in Maryland. Noise-induced hearing loss was evident in 15% of males and 5% of females.
Since that time, scientists have continued to study how many young people have damaged their hearing due to overexposure to high levels of sound.
Hearing Loss Today
In 2001: 15.5% of U.S. youth aged 12-19 years of age had hearing tests suggestive of noise-induced hearing loss. Ten years later in 2011, the percentage increased slightly to 16.8% of 12-19-year-olds. More recently the percentages have decreased again to 12.8% for the same age group.
Looking at this from another perspective; 5.9 million youth aged 9-19 years have noise-induced hearing loss in the U.S. That is a lot of kids!
Dangerous Decibels Study
A Dangerous Decibels study tested the hearing of visitors to the Dangerous Decibels exhibit at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry between 2002 and 2011. An AMAZING 30,779 teens took the high-quality hearing test.
13% of youth between 12 and 19 years of age had test results that suggested hazardous noise exposure had begun to damage their hearing.
1. NIHL in Teens
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