Attitudes towards Safe Listening Measures in Entertainment Venues: Results from an International Survey among Young Venue-Goers

Nicola Diviani, Shelly Chadha, Malachi Ochieng Arunda and Sara Rubinelli
Additional contact information
Nicola Diviani: Person-Centered Health Care and Health Communication Group, Swiss Paraplegic Research, Guido A. Zäch Strasse 4, 6207 Nottwil, Switzerland
Shelly Chadha: Department for Noncommunicable Diseases, World Health Organization (WHO), 1202 Geneva, Switzerland
Malachi Ochieng Arunda: Department for Noncommunicable Diseases, World Health Organization (WHO), 1202 Geneva, Switzerland
Sara Rubinelli: Person-Centered Health Care and Health Communication Group, Swiss Paraplegic Research, Guido A. Zäch Strasse 4, 6207 Nottwil, Switzerland

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 23, 1-11

Abstract: Background: Sustained exposure to excess noise in recreational settings is among the main causes of hearing loss among young adults worldwide. Within a global effort to develop standards for safe listening in entertainment venues, this study aims at identifying modifiable factors (knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs), which can hinder or facilitate the acceptance of safe listening measures in public venues among young venue-goers. Methods: An online questionnaire was developed inspired by the Health Belief Model. It was divided into five sections: (i) socio-demographics (ii) listening habits, (iii) experiences with loud music, (iv) knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs, and (v) willingness to change. Participants were recruited through social media. Results: 2264 individuals aged 16–35 completed the questionnaire. Most visited entertainment venues relatively infrequently, with the majority of them only visiting once per month or less. Nevertheless, most reported having experienced the negative consequences of listening to loud music. Overall, most people were favorable towards preventive measures, especially quiet areas. Conclusion: Our findings stress the urge to address the issue of safe listening in public venues and support an approach based on the introduction of standards. Moreover, they provide us with information on key factors to be considered when introducing and communicating preventive measures in public entertainment venues.

Keywords: hearing loss; recreational; public venues; entertainment venues; survey (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/23/12860/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/23/12860/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:23:p:12860-:d:696236

Access Statistics for this article

IJERPH is currently edited by Ms. Jenna Liu

More articles in IJERPH from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().