Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is a
sensorineural hearing loss in the form of a progressive
and irreversible decrease in hearing functions due to
noise exposure. This study aims to examine the effects of
the use of earphones on the incidence of NIHL.
Specifically, this study investigates the effects of the
length of exposure, frequency, duration, and volume level
in the use of earphones on the incidence of NIHL.
Method: This study is an observational analytical study
with a cross-sectional design and a sample of 378
students. Data were collected using the Hearing Handicap
Inventory - Questionnaire (HHI-Q) to obtain primary
data that have been developed and validated as a tool to
identify the hearing loss of high school students in Banda
Aceh. Multivariate analysis is used to test the hypothesis.
Results: Our results found that the students who did not
have a major hearing loss were using earphones for a
period of exposure of < 2 years, and amounted to 72
students (51.43%), those using them every 1 to 3 days
amounted to 116 students (82.86%), those using
earphones for < 1 hour amounted to 110 students
(78.57%), and having the volume at < 60% amounted to
116 students (82.86%). The majority of students (117
students or 65%) who had a degree of hearing loss used
earphones for a period of > 5 years, 66 students (36.67%)
used earphones for 6 to 7 days each week, 84 students
(46.67%) used earphones for more than one hour a day,
and 87 students (48.33%) had the volume on their
earphones set at more than 60%. Conclusion: The length
of exposure, frequency, duration, and volume in the use
of earphones all significantly affect the incidence of
NIHL. The longer the length of exposure to earphones,
the more frequent the use of earphones, a longer duration
of earphone use each day, and listening with a high
volume level tend to cause the users to experience mild or
even severe hearing loss.
Keywords : Earphone, HHI-Q, Noise-induced hearing loss, Sensorineural.