P-577 a Time-Dependent Holistic Model of Hearing Protection Devices (Hpd) Use: The Effect of Time on HPD Comfort and HPD-Related Health Behaviors

Introduction Hearing protection devices (HPDs) are widely used to reduce noise exposure in workplaces. The effectiveness of this noise control strategy is questionable, however, as HPDs are sometimes not used at all, or are used inconsistently and/or incorrectly. Methods Understanding these unhealthy behaviors and their origins is therefore essential in order to propose solutions to improve the effectiveness of this preventive measure against noise-induced hearing loss. Results Numerous models based on social cognition theories identified the significant factors facilitating or hindering the workers’ health behaviors related to the HPDs use. Nevertheless, these models did not focus on physical and psychosocial characteristics of the triad “environment/person/HPD” which can influence HPDs use. Following a transdisciplinary approach, this communication presents a time-dependent holistic model of HPD use, based on the integration of a comfort model adapted to HPDs into an existing behavioral model. A comfort model dedicated to HPDs was first developed to account for the complex mechanisms from which comfort-related barriers and benefits originate. This model was then integrated in an existing social cognition model to predict HPD-related health behaviors accounting for the comfort dimensions (physical, functional, acoustical, psychological) and the influence of the triad. Discussion and conclusion Finally, the temporal dimension of behavioral change was taken into account to capture the scope of change in HPD-related health behaviors. This holistic description of HPDs use could be applied to: (i) identify the characteristics of the triad significantly associated to comfort and HPD-related health behaviors; (ii) improve hearing protection training programs; and (iii) increase HPDs use to prevent hearing loss among workers.