EAR INFECTION AND HEARING LOSSES AMONG HEADPHONE AND EARPIECE USERS

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EAR INFECTION AND HEARING LOSSES AMONG HEADPHONE AND EARPIECE USERS

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background of the study

The use of headphone has been thought to create aural hygiene problems and infection in the ear canal. Not uncommonly the headphone user also express concern regarding the potential for this device to cause noise induced hearing loss. However, documented studies on the side effects of prolonged use of the headphone are rarely described in the literature. Among the prolonged user of the headphone are telephonists, radio deejays and mobile compact personal stereo.

Celcom (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd. is a major telecommunication company in Malaysia. A total number of 1 customer service representatives are working in the company. Customer service representatives function as telephonists, which uses headphone to receive phone calls from Celcom customer. They work in shift of 8 hours with one-hour break. Therefore, all of them wear headphones and receiving calls continuously for 7 hours. Isolated incidence of ear problems has been reported among these customer service representatives. It is in the interest of both the employer and the employee that a proper study is carried out to determine ear problems including hearing loss among these customer service representatives.

Statement of the problem

There may have been previous researches in this subject. This work gives further explanations and analysis in ear infection and hearing losses among headphone and earpiece users

Objectives of the study
To determine the prevalence of infection of the external ear canal as well as other ear, nose and throat diseases among customer service representatives
To determine the hearing threshold level of these subject using Pure Tone Audiometry.

Research questions
To determine the prevalence of infection of the external ear canal as well as other ear, nose and throat diseases among customer service representatives
To determine the hearing threshold level of these subject using Pure Tone Audiometry.

Research hypothesis

H0: There is no relationship between infection of the external ear canal and hearing threshold level

H1: There is a relationship between infection of the external ear canal and hearing threshold level

comes with a warning that people should be careful with the rate of usage and volume of usage to avoid health challenges arising thereof. This warning has not deterred those who abuse the use and for sure, the implications has being consumerate hence this study earpiece usage and awareness of health implications among Unizik high school students.

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

The auditory system is composed of anatomic elements such as ligaments, tendons, muscles, ossicles, sensory cells and neurons, and it can suffer interference from intrinsic or extrinsic factors such as noise (Carter, William, Black and Bundy, 2014). Noise can be defined as an undesirable sound and its perception could be different depending on the listener. Noise intensity, exposure time and physical characteristics will determine how much it can damage hearing health (Willaims et al, 2014). The intensity, the kind of noise, its duration and quality are determining in the hearing alteration acquisition process (Fritsch, Brown, Shwela and Kephelopoulos (2011).

There is a growing concern regarding the hearing health of the youth, as the indiscriminate exposure to places where there is great noise intensity and the use of portable equipment like earphones could, in a short or long term, bring irreversible damage to the auditory system. Exposure to high level intensity noises can trigger many different symptoms such as: intolerance to intense sounds, dizziness, otalgy (or earache), trouble understanding or hearing words, ringing in the ear and loss of hearing. Besides hearing impairment, there is extra-hearing damage as: sleep disturbances, cardiovascular disorder, stress, fatigue, tension, irritability, inattention, tiredness, nervousness, headaches and high blood pressure.

The use of earphones by young people, as well as the noisy environments attended by them is already considered public health hazard since they jeopardize auditory health. In places visited often by youth like bars, night clubs, dance clubs, gyms, soccer stadiums among others, the intensity of sound is normally greater than a normal noise the ear should carry and individual portable equipment like earphones can be even greater (Gulliver and Williams, 2013).

Hearing problems are no longer a concern only among the elderly, they’ve become a part in the lives of many young people who had portable amplifying equipment for long periods of time in their ears, generally with the volume turned up to high intensity in an attempt to isolate themselves or compete with external noise. Another important factor that triggers hearing alterations is the type of earphones used, once the in-the-ear phones conduct the sound pressure into the middle ear and the inner ear without any protection. Let’s not forget that the human auditory system has limits (up to eight hours of exposure a day to; the need for acoustic rest once the hair cells in the ear are sensitive) which need to be respected in order to avoid future problems (Williams, 2014).

The rate of hearing loss experienced among youths in Nigeria today is quite alarming and most can be significantly linked to earpiece usage when thoroughly investigated judging from the frequency at which they use earpiece.

Hearing loss caused by the constant use of earphones have similar characteristics to the one caused by occupational exposure to noise, in other words, the hearing loss is slow, progressive, irreversible, the sensorineural kind, bilateral, initially attacks the higher frequencies, and later the other frequencies (Keith, 2011). In recognition of the variety of problems facing ear piece usage among the youths, the researcher has set out on this research to identify the dangers of earpiece usage and proffer solutions.

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The coming of mobile phones into Nigeria has significantly brought about a lot of development and accessibility to globalization for citizens of the country. With an increasing availability and demand for mobile phones and its movie and music capabilities, the demand for earpiece has increased as well especially among the youths. Concerns are on the rise among the elderly and health practitioners who are disturbed over the dangers of this earpiece usage among adolescents and youths.This is as they argue that the negatives are way more than the positives which are just simply to have a full and personalized enjoyment of one’s music and videos without necessary constituting nuisance to others. With an increasing rate of cancers, deaths, accidents, hearing loss, etc occasioned by this earpiece usage, the concern therefore necessitated that a research into the use of earpiece and its health implications be carried out.

1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The general objective of the study is earpiece usage and awareness of health implications among UNIZIK high school students. The specific objectives are:

To identify if people use earpiece.

To examine the health implications of earpiece use among secondary school students.

To identify how to curb the menace of earpiece usage among secondary school students.

1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

Do people use earpiece?

What are the health implications of earpiece usage among Anambra State Secondary School Students?

In what ways can the menace of earpiece usage be curbed among secondary school students in Anambra State?

1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY

This study will establish the degree of earpiece usage among UNIZIK high school students.

The study at the end of this research will help in identifying the positive and negative effects of earpiece usage on the student and the extent it has affected them. It will also orient them on the dangers of this act.

It will give parents, guardians, teachers and education regulatory bodies clue on how to supervise earpiece usage among the secondary school students.

The research work would be useful for academic purposes as well. Scholars, students and agencies will reference this work in further studies. The study will also open up topics for further research.

1.6 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

This research work looks at the way secondary school students in Anambra state use earpiece and how it affects them with emphasis on Nnamdi Azikiwe University High School students.

1.7 DEFINITION OF TERMS

Earpiece: This is an electro-acoustic transducer for converting electric signals into sounds; it is held over or inserted into the ear, earphone; headphone; phone.

Awareness: This is having knowledge of; consciousness and knowing of an existing situation or thing.

Health Implications: This happens when an individual falls short of or gains due to an activity of; “a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”.

Usage: The act of using an object, an idea or a place and the implications/uility derived from it

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