Usage of Personal Listening Devices and Awareness of Safety Precautions among Tertiary Students

Objective: The increasing prevalence of personal listening devices (PLDs) among tertiary students raises concerns regarding their auditory health. This study investigated the usage patterns and awareness of safety precautions associated with PLDs among students at the University for Development Studies (UDS). Methodology: The study was conducted among students at UDS, Ghana. A cross-sectional design was used through a multi-stage sampling method where 477 participants were surveyed using a structured questionnaire. The study evaluated personal listening devices (PLDs) usage and awareness of safety precautions. Data was analyzed using Stata version 16 for descriptive statistics, and Chi-square tests to determine associations. Results: The findings revealed a high prevalence of PLD usage (93.5%) with the majority using in-ear earphones (74.6%). Majority of respondents were aware that listening to content through their PLD for a prolonged time could contribute to hearing loss (89.5%). Majority of the respondents knew that using PLDs less than sixty minutes was the safest duration (69.8%). Most respondents were aware that high volume on PLDs causes hearing loss (87.6%) with most aware 60% is the safest volume limit (73%). Overall, majority of respondents had a good awareness level (56.4%) of the safety about PLDs. There was a significant association between students' faculty affiliation and their awareness levels [chi=10.96, p-value=0.012]. Conclusion: The study showed a high prevalence of PLDs usage among the students of UDS with majority of the students aware of the safety precautions needed while using their PLDs.