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Sound-Level monitoring earphones with smartphone feedback as an intervention to promote healthy listening behaviours in young adults

Dissertation (MA (Audiology))--University of Pretoria, 2020.

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Other Authors: Swanepoel, De Wet
Format: Thesis
Language:English
Published: University of Pretoria 2021
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access_status_str Open Access
author2 Swanepoel, De Wet
author_browse Swanepoel, De Wet
author_facet Swanepoel, De Wet
collection Thesis
dc_rights_str_mv © 2019 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria.
description Dissertation (MA (Audiology))--University of Pretoria, 2020.
format Thesis
id oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/78173
institution University of Pretoria (South Africa)
language English
last_indexed 2026-06-10T12:36:42.914Z
license_str Other — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository
publishDate 2021
publishDateRange 2021
publishDateSort 2021
publisher University of Pretoria
publisherStr University of Pretoria
record_format dspace
source_str UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository
spelling oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/78173 Sound-Level monitoring earphones with smartphone feedback as an intervention to promote healthy listening behaviours in young adults Swanepoel, De Wet meggieknoetze@gmail.com Mahomed-Asmail, Faheema Knoetze, Megan Clarissa UCTD Audiology Dissertation (MA (Audiology))--University of Pretoria, 2020. Background More than a billion adolescents and young adults are at risk of acquiring recreational noise-induced hearing loss (RNIHL) due to the unsafe use of Personal Audio Systems (PAS). Although preventable, once occurred the RNIHL is irreversible and can have a severe negative impact on physical and mental health as well as on academic or work performance. Educational programs alone have not been effective in changing listening behaviour in PAS users. Objectives The present study, therefore, aimed to determine (i) the accuracy and reliability of dbTrack (Westone) sound-level monitoring earphones and (ii) the effect of sound-level monitoring earphones with smartphone feedback and hearing health information as an intervention to promote healthy listening behaviours in young adults. Design The study consisted of two phases, the first phase investigated the accuracy and reliability of dbTrack sound-level monitoring earphones. Accuracy was determined by comparing earphone measurements to sound level meter measurements. Intra-device reliability was determined by comparing earphone measurements during test-retest conditions. Nineteen participants were recruited through convenience sampling to determine within-subject reliability by comparing in-ear sound levels measured by the earphones during test-retest conditions. For the second phase of the study, a single-group pretest-posttest design was utilized. Forty participants, recruited through snowball sampling, utilized dbTrack (Westone) sound-level monitoring earphones with the accompanying dbTrack smartphone application for 4 weeks. The application’s smartphone feedback was disabled during the first 2 weeks (pretest condition) and enabled during the last 2 weeks (posttest condition). Average daily intensities, durations and sound dosages measured during pre- and posttest conditions were compared. Results Phase 1 dbTrack earphone measurements were within 1 dB when compared to sound level meter measurements. Earphones were also within 1 dB in repeated measures across earphones and across participants. Phase 2 posttest average daily intensity decreased by 8.7 dBA (18.3 SD), duration decreased by 7.6 minutes (46.6 SD) and sound dose decreased by 4128.4% (24965.5% SD). Differences in intensity and sound dose were significantly lower with small and medium effect size, respectively. Conclusions This study’s data indicate that dbTrack (Westone) sound-level monitoring earphones with a calibrated in-ear microphone can reliably and accurately measure PAS sound exposure. Preliminary results also suggest that feedback on sound exposure using the accurate sound-level monitoring earphones with the accompanying dbTrack application can potentially promote safe listening behaviour in young adults and reduce the risk of acquiring an RNIHL. Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology MA (Audiology) Unrestricted 2021-02-01T13:20:35Z 2021-02-01T13:20:35Z 2021-09 2020-11 Dissertation Knoetze, MC 2020, Sound-Level monitoring earphones with smartphone feedback as an intervention to promote healthy listening behaviours in young adults, MA (Audiology) Dissertation, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, viewed yymmdd <http://hdl.handle.net/2263/78173> http://hdl.handle.net/2263/78173 en © 2019 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. application/pdf University of Pretoria
spellingShingle UCTD
Audiology
Sound-Level monitoring earphones with smartphone feedback as an intervention to promote healthy listening behaviours in young adults
title Sound-Level monitoring earphones with smartphone feedback as an intervention to promote healthy listening behaviours in young adults
title_full Sound-Level monitoring earphones with smartphone feedback as an intervention to promote healthy listening behaviours in young adults
title_fullStr Sound-Level monitoring earphones with smartphone feedback as an intervention to promote healthy listening behaviours in young adults
title_full_unstemmed Sound-Level monitoring earphones with smartphone feedback as an intervention to promote healthy listening behaviours in young adults
title_short Sound-Level monitoring earphones with smartphone feedback as an intervention to promote healthy listening behaviours in young adults
title_sort sound level monitoring earphones with smartphone feedback as an intervention to promote healthy listening behaviours in young adults
topic UCTD
Audiology
url http://hdl.handle.net/2263/78173