Department of Communication Disorders, Tel Aviv University Tel Aviv, Israel.
Hearing, Speech and Language Center, Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan, Israel.
J Am Acad Audiol. 2023 Jul;34(7-08):135-142. doi: 10.1055/s-0044-1790265. Epub 2024 Oct 29.
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic introduced a unique situation by consigning people to their homes, with free time for music listening, joined with increased anxiety and stress levels. The question arises whether listening habits to music have changed during the pandemic. Such a change in listening habits might pose a greater potential risk to hearing than in routine days.
To evaluate listening habits to music using earphones during the COVID-19 pandemic and assess if any change occurred in these habits compared with routine days before the pandemic.
Self-reported listening habits were collected using a purpose-built questionnaire submitted online.
In total, the questionnaire was distributed among 242 young adults aged 18 to 30 years (mean: 24.3 ± 2.8). A total of 192 participants, regular listeners to music using earphones, provided information concerning their listening habits.
Collected listening habits included: listening levels, duration, and frequency of listening during the pandemic compared with routine days. Symptoms and circumstances that occurred following music listening were reported as well. We compared statistically listening habits of participants that stayed home during the pandemic versus those that kept their office routine. In addition, we performed statistical analysis on hearing symptoms following unsafe versus safe music listeners.
Most reported listening durations were 2 to 4 days (28.5%) and 7 days a week (29.7%), for at least 30 minutes, at high to very high listening levels, and volume control settings at 75 to 100%. Almost 50% of the participants reported a change in their listening habits during the pandemic, mainly a more frequent and longer listening duration. Overall, 29.1% of the participants were at potential risk of hearing loss due to unsafe listening habits.
The change in listening habits during the COVID-19 pandemic underscores the need to monitor listening habits and raise awareness of the one cause for hearing loss that can be prevented.
2019 年冠状病毒病（COVID-19）大流行将人们困在家中，有了自由时间听音乐，同时也增加了焦虑和压力水平。由此产生了一个问题，即在大流行期间人们的音乐聆听习惯是否发生了变化。与常规时期相比，这种聆听习惯的变化可能对听力造成更大的潜在风险。
评估 COVID-19 大流行期间使用耳机听音乐的习惯，并评估与大流行前的常规时期相比，这些习惯是否发生了变化。
使用专门设计的在线问卷收集自我报告的聆听习惯。
共有 242 名年龄在 18 至 30 岁之间的年轻人（平均：24.3±2.8 岁）参与了问卷调查。共有 192 名经常使用耳机听音乐的参与者提供了有关其聆听习惯的信息。
收集的聆听习惯包括：与常规时期相比，大流行期间的聆听水平、时长和频率。还报告了聆听音乐后出现的症状和情况。我们对大流行期间居家的参与者和保持办公室常规的参与者的聆听习惯进行了统计学比较。此外，我们还对不安全和安全音乐聆听者的听力症状进行了统计分析。
大多数参与者报告的聆听时长为 2 至 4 天（28.5%）和每周 7 天（29.7%），聆听时长至少为 30 分钟，聆听水平为高到极高，音量控制设置在 75 到 100%。近 50%的参与者报告在大流行期间改变了他们的聆听习惯，主要是更频繁和更长的聆听时长。总体而言，由于不安全的聆听习惯，有 29.1%的参与者有听力损失的潜在风险。
COVID-19 大流行期间聆听习惯的变化突显了需要监测聆听习惯并提高对可预防听力损失原因之一的认识。
