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Otology/Neurotology

(231) Hearing Protection Use Among Music Venue Attendees: Motivations and Barriers

Monday, October 2, 2023
2:45 PM – 3:45 PM East Coast USA Time

    Presenting Author(s)

  • Ryan Long, BS

    Medical Student
    Keck School of Medicine of USC
    Los Angeles, California, United States

    • Co-Author(s)

  • Matthew E. Lin, BS

    Medical Student
    Keck School of Medicine of USC
    Alhambra, CA, United States

    • Co-Author(s)

  • Avinash Iyer, BS

    Medical Student
    Keck School of Medicine of USC
    Alhambra, California, United States

  • TA

    Tobi O. Ayo-Ajibola, BS

    MEDICAL STUDENT
    Keck School of Medicine of USC
    Granite Bay, California, United States

  • Janet S. Choi, MD MPH

    Fellow Physician
    2University of Minnesota Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Minneapolis, MN
    Minneapolis, MN, USA

    • Senior Author(s)

  • JD

    Joni K. Doherty, MD PhD

    Associate Professor
    Caruso Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California
    Los Angeles, California, United States

Disclosure(s):
Avinash Iyer, BS: No relevant relationships to disclose.
Tobi O. Ayo-Ajibola, BS: No relevant relationships to disclose.


Introduction: Despite levels of noise exposure in popular social music venues knowingly exceeding national guidelines, hearing protection (HP) adoption rates remain low. This study aims to investigate the prevalence of HP use and behavioral motivations and barriers among adults attending music venues.

Methods: Cross-sectional survey of participants in online music communities (n=2352). Data was characterized through descriptive statistics, paired t-tests, and Pearson’s chi-square. Factors associated with increased perceived music enjoyment were elucidated through multivariate linear regression.

Results: In this cohort (mean age 29±7, 61% male), the prevalence of self-reported HP use was 60.6%. HP users were significantly more concerned about the impact of music venues on hearing (p < 0.01), believed their hearing ability had decreased (p < 0.01), and believed HP could protect from hearing loss (p < 0.01). Never considering protection (14.45%) and concern about it affecting music quality (12.71%) were the two most cited reasons for not wearing hearing protection; non-impact on music quality was fourth among users (21.43%). Peers (28.71%) and social media (19.99%) were how users most discovered protective devices; physicians were least common sources (6.4%). HP users reported significantly higher music enjoyment when wearing hearing protection (p < 0.01), but non-users reported a significant drop in perceived enjoyment (p < 0.01). In a multivariate regression controlling for demographic variables, protection non-users perceived significantly higher enjoyment when standing in the front of crowds (p=0.02). Amongst users, outdoor events (p=0.04), pop, classic, or hip-hop music (p < 0.01), and African American race (p=0.01) significantly increased enjoyment.

Conclusions: Hearing protection users and non-users have significantly different perceptions of hearing protection use and its impact. These findings warrant developing interventions to address perceptions of hearing protection’s impact on music enjoyment and raise awareness of the consequences of hazardous noise exposure at music venues.