Diviani Nicola, Chadha Shelly, Mulas Peter, Rubinelli Sara
Swiss Paraplegic Research, Nottwil, Switzerland.
Faculty of Health Sciences and Medicine, University of Lucerne, Lucerne, Switzerland.
JMIR Form Res. 2025 Mar 25;9:e60476. doi: 10.2196/60476.
The global rise of video gaming and esports has raised significant concerns about hearing loss due to loud sound exposure. While these activities provide entertainment and have applications in health care, the auditory health risks and behavioral factors influencing listening habits among gamers remain underexplored. Research is needed to develop tailored interventions that address the unique barriers, attitudes, and beliefs of gamers and esports participants, promoting safer listening practices and minimizing auditory health risks.
This study aimed to explore listening behaviors, attitudes, and awareness regarding hearing health risks among video gamers and esports participants. The findings are intended to guide the design and implementation of technological features that encourage safer listening practices, in alignment with the World Health Organization's Safe Listening initiative.
An open web-based survey was conducted from September 2022 to January 2023, targeting video gamers and esports enthusiasts. Participants were recruited via World Health Organization social media platforms and outreach to stakeholders. The survey assessed gaming behaviors, listening habits, awareness about hearing health, beliefs, readiness to change listening behaviors, and communication preferences. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multinomial logistic regression.
A total of 488 responses were collected, with 67.2% (n=328) of participants identifying as male, and 56.4% (n=275) having a college degree or higher. Of the respondents, 90.8% (n=443) were actively engaged in video gaming, while 54.9% (n=268) viewed esports, and 13.9% (n=68) participated in esports events. Notably, 24.8% (n=110) of gamers, 18.3% (n=49) of esports viewers, and 37.1% (n=23) of esports players reported using high or very high volume settings. Despite around half of the participants experiencing symptoms indicative of hearing damage (eg, ringing in the ears), only 34.3% (n=152) of gamers, 35.8% (n=92) of esports players, and 39.7% (n=27) of esports viewers reported taking sound breaks every hour. The study identified a balanced distribution across readiness-to-change stages, with 30.3% (n=148) in the precontemplation stage, 35.3% (n=173) in the contemplation stage, and 34.2% (n=167) in the action stage. Factors such as perceived susceptibility to hearing loss, perceived benefits of preventive action, and self-efficacy significantly influenced readiness to change. Communication preferences indicated that 51% (n=249) of participants were interested in receiving more information on hearing health, with health care professionals and governmental agencies being the most trusted sources.
The findings highlight an urgent need for interventions to promote safe listening practices among gamers, emphasizing a gap between awareness and preventive action. The integration of safe listening features into video games and esports platforms, along with targeted communication strategies, can enhance auditory health awareness and protective behaviors. Future research should evaluate the effectiveness of these interventions to ensure comprehensive auditory health protection in the digital entertainment sector.
全球范围内电子游戏和电竞活动的兴起引发了人们对因声音暴露过大导致听力损失的严重担忧。虽然这些活动提供了娱乐并在医疗保健领域有应用，但游戏玩家中听力健康风险以及影响其听力习惯的行为因素仍未得到充分探索。需要开展研究以制定针对性的干预措施，解决游戏玩家和电竞参与者所面临的独特障碍、态度和观念问题，促进更安全的听力习惯，并将听力健康风险降至最低。
本研究旨在探索电子游戏玩家和电竞参与者的听力行为、态度以及对听力健康风险的认知。研究结果旨在指导设计和实施鼓励更安全听力习惯的技术功能，与世界卫生组织的安全听力倡议保持一致。
于2022年9月至2023年1月开展了一项基于网络的开放式调查，目标对象为电子游戏玩家和电竞爱好者。通过世界卫生组织社交媒体平台及向利益相关者宣传招募参与者。该调查评估了游戏行为、听力习惯、对听力健康的认知、观念、改变听力行为的意愿以及沟通偏好。使用描述性统计和多项逻辑回归分析数据。
共收集到488份回复，67.2%（n = 328）的参与者为男性，56.4%（n = 275）拥有大学学位或更高学历。在受访者中，90.8%（n = 443）积极参与电子游戏，54.9%（n = 268）观看电竞比赛，13.9%（n = 68）参加电竞赛事。值得注意的是，24.8%（n = 110）的游戏玩家、18.3%（n = 49）的电竞观众以及37.1%（n = 23）的电竞选手报告使用高音量或非常高音量设置。尽管约一半的参与者出现了听力受损的症状（如耳鸣），但只有34.3%（n = 152）的游戏玩家、35.8%（n = 92）的电竞选手以及39.7%（n = 27）的电竞观众报告每小时会进行声音休息。该研究发现参与者在改变意愿阶段分布均衡，30.3%（n = 148）处于未考虑阶段，35.3%（n = 173）处于考虑阶段，34.2%（n = 167）处于行动阶段。诸如感知到的听力损失易感性、预防行动的感知益处以及自我效能等因素显著影响改变意愿。沟通偏好表明，51%（n = 249）的参与者有兴趣获取更多关于听力健康的信息，医疗保健专业人员和政府机构是最受信任的信息来源。
研究结果凸显了迫切需要采取干预措施来促进游戏玩家养成安全的听力习惯，强调了认知与预防行动之间的差距。将安全听力功能集成到电子游戏和电竞平台中，以及有针对性的沟通策略，可以提高听力健康意识和保护行为。未来的研究应评估这些干预措施的有效性，以确保在数字娱乐领域全面保护听力健康。
