Hearing loss from personal audio technology a concern for most adults in Mexico & Puerto Rico.

Nearly three-fourths of adults surveyed in Puerto Rico (73%) and Mexico (71%) report they are concerned about hearing loss from the use of personal audio technology, such as iPods or other MP3 players, portable CD players, or cell phones. The findings result from a poll commissioned by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) that was conducted by Zogby International at the end of October 2006.

Half of the respondents surveyed in each country reported seeing information recently about the risks of hearing loss; two-thirds of those in Mexico indicated they would be more likely to think about the risks of hearing loss because of the information they had heard, read, or seen. Only 45% Puerto Rican respondents indicated they would be, however.

The poll also found that 92% of adults in Mexico and 83% of adults in Puerto Rico were concerned about the hearing health of their children due to their use of electronic devices with earphones.

“Educating adults and children about the safe usage of these devices is the most important and effective way to prevent noise-induced hearing loss,” according to Alina Paz, an ASHA member and a certified audiologist and speech-language pathologist with Miami Dade County Public Schools. “Healthy hearing habits are more easily established at an early age in the home and in school.”

While the poll found that cell phones are the most used electronic device in each country (86% in Mexico; 72% in Puerto Rico), iPods or other MP3 players are becoming more popular with 70% of adults in Mexico and 50% of adults in Puerto Rico reporting they use these devices. Also, buying habits appear to be signaling an increase in the usage of the technology as nearly 80% of adults in Mexico and half of adults in Puerto Rico reported that they had recently purchased an iPod or other brand of MP3 player; 66% of poll respondents in Mexico and 50% in Puerto Rico indicated they planned to purchase an iPod or other MP3 player as a gift during the end of year holidays.

The Mexico-Puerto Rico poll also found that significant percentages of respondents are listening to iPods, other MP3 players, and the like for 1-4 hours and for 4 hours or more at a time. For example, 69% of Puerto Rican respondents report listening to iPods for those lengths of time; for Mexican respondents, the figure is 72%. While respondents in Mexico most often report keeping their volume levels at medium (64%), nearly 60% of Puerto Rican respondents report using the devices at a loud or very loud volume.

The polling in Puerto Rico and Mexico is the latest aspect of ASHA’s public education campaign, America: Tuned in Today…But Tuned out Tomorrow?, which encourages safe usage of personal audio technology, and recommends safety steps such as keeping volume levels with the maximum safe limit of 85 decibels and limiting listening time.

For more information at http://www.asha.org>