Objective: This research aimed to assess and compare the degree of knowledge and awareness of noise-induced hearing loss in both the adult male and female communities living in Hail, Saudi Arabia.
Methods: It was a cross-sectional survey conducted in Hail Governorate, Northern Saudi Arabia. The study covered a group of 1,086 people. An electronic data collection form was used to collect the data.
Results: The findings revealed that almost three-quarters of the interviewees (756, 69.6%), knew that high volume levels can harm hearing. Less than half of the single participants (247, 22.7%) correctly assumed that the feeling of ringing in the ear was a giveaway for a person with a hearing problem. There was a positive correlation between the participant’s family history of hearing impairment (p-value = 0.001) and age of the participant and the frequency of hearing problems (p-value = 0.017), in which most of them (17, 34.7%) were at an age higher than 50 years. Finally, work environment, number of hearing sessions per week, duration of the hearing session (per day), typical volume level used, and increased volume of the TV show were statistically significantly associated with the reporting of hearing problems (p-value < 0.05).
Conclusion: This study demonstrated that countless people in Hail were aware of the deleterious effect of intense sound and noisy areas on hearing health. Nevertheless, there were noticeable gaps when it came to the early recognition of indicators of hearing loss, such as tinnitus and the need to frequently modify the volume.
Key words: Hearing loss, noise, hearing problems, high volume, Saudi Arabia
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