IJCM₃52A: Effects of usage of Portable Listening Devices among Medical Students of SBKS MIRC Sumandeep Vidyapeeth

Background: Over 1 billion young people globally are at risk of hearing loss and road traffic accidents due to unsafe listening practices while using portable listening devices (PLDs). Rapid proliferation of mobile phones with built-in music playback facility has rendered nearly universal PLD access. Objective: 1. To find prevalence of usage of PLD among the medical students. 2. To make students aware about the various harmful effects of long term use of PLD Methodology: A Cross sectional study was conducted among students of 2nd, 3rd year part 1 and 3rd year part 2 MBBS of SBKS MI RC Sumandeep Vidyapeeth. After obtaining permission from ethics committee data was collected with the help of pre tested, pre formed questionnaire. Results: Study demonstrates the usage of portable listening devices among 380 medical students. The average number of days with PLD usage in a typical week was reported nearly equal in both male and female students. Nearly two-third (61.31%) of the students restricting listening to music on their PLDs on a typical day to1-3hrs, while more than one-fourth (32.89%) listened between 3-7 hrs. However, 22 (5.8%) students reported time spent listening to music on their PLD exceeding 7hrs daily. Self-reported hearing loss and ringing in ears (tinnitus) which persisted for at least 3 days within the previous 6 months were reported by 173 students in total. Conclusion: The probable association between long-term PLD usage and the risks of developing hearing loss and ringing in ears was considered to be unlikely by students. Significantly higher proportion of male compared to female students did not perceive any risks associated with PLD use.