One billion youths at risk of deafness due to headphones and loud music, study revealed

Youngsters who spend long hours in the use of headphones or ear buds and parties with loud music need to be alert. Due to this, the problem of deafness can arise in them. The new study findings by an international team of researchers have been published in the prestigious journal BMJ Global Health. Researchers have appealed to countries around the world to make safe listening policies, so that the ability to hear can be protected.

According to the assessment of the World Health Organization - 

The study team also included researchers from the Medical University of South Carolina in the US. According to the estimation of the World Health Organisation, more than 430 million people in the world i.e. more than five percent of the total population are currently suffering from disabled hearing loss. Prior research found that users of personal listening devices (PLDs) often chose the volume option higher than 105 decibels, while the average noise level at entertainment venues was 104 to 112 decibels. 

Participant data analysis

This is much higher than the standard sound level of 80 decibels for adults and 75 decibels for children. The researchers analyzed data from studies published in English, French, Spanish and Russian over two decades, which included children and youth aged 12-34. They analyzed data from 33 studies, 35 data banks and 19,046 participants.

Of these, 17 records focused on PLD, while 18 focused on faster music venues. On the basis of these, scientists not only tried to go to the root of the problem, but also estimated that 0.67 to 1.35 billion youths of 12-34 years may be victims of hearing loss in the coming times. The global population of this age group is close to 2.8 billion.