While the 13th week of sound, which aims to raise public awareness of the importance of hearing in society, the National Institute for Prevention and Education for Health (Inpes) has just published a study on “listening to amplified music , analysis of behavior among 15-35 year olds “based on the results of the 2014 Health Barometer.
According to this study, published in the Weekly epidemiological bulletin, and for which more than 4,800 young people aged 15 to 35 were questioned, 13% of these individuals have frequent and intensive use of listening with headphones or earphones. If this practice decreases with advancing age, it concerns almost all teenagers aged 15 to 19.
In addition, 21% of those questioned regularly attend concerts, nightclubs or other leisure places with high sound volumes.
Listening to amplified music through headphones or earphones has developed in recent years among 18-35 year olds: it concerned 47% of people questioned in 2007, compared to nearly 70% (69.7%). in 2014. The proportion of French people who use it as frequent and intensive has tripled, going from 4.2% in 2007 to 13.3% in 2014.
“These data suggest the need to strengthen preventive interventions aimed at preserving hearing capital, particularly in adolescents and young adults” emphasize the authors. Exposure to frequent, intensive and repeated sound levels of so-called “amplified” music is indeed one of the causes of hearing problems because with headphones, the sound is very close to the inner ear. However, among users of headphones or earphones every day or several times a week, only 15.9% declare “always” or “often” to have reduced the sound volume or reduced their listening time to protect their ears. And 60.7% do it “never” or “rarely”.
According to the WHO, nearly 50% of young people aged 12 to 35 in countries with an intermediate to high gross national product (GNP) are exposed to dangerous sound levels related to listening to so-called “amplified” music.
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