Objective: This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of noise-induced hearing loss among medical students in the Qassim region, Saudi Arabia.
Methods: It was a cross-sectional observational study, conducted over 6 months at Qassim University. Data were collected via an online questionnaire, adapted from a previous study.
Results: This study showed that 94.0% of medical students used headphones, predominantly dual earphones (92.8%). Common issues included hearing people around (54.0%), occasional volume adjustments (54.0%), and mild hearing problems (33.6%). Earphone usage reasons included lectures (33.2%) and music (33.1%). Concerningly, 40.9% had trouble in conversations and 15.7% felt worsening hearing. Gender (p-value = 0.015), age >23 years (p-value = 0.004), and medication use (p-value = 0.023) correlated with severity. Non-users had higher severity (p-value = 0.030), as did left-ear users (p-value = 0.048), and those using headphones more frequently (p-value = 0.034, p-value = 0.011).
Conclusion: This study revealed a high prevalence of headphone-related hearing issues among Qassim University medical students. Factors such as gender, age, and medication use contribute to severity, emphasizing the need for targeted interventions.
Key words: Headphones, hearing loss, noise-induced hearing loss, medical student, prevalence
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