2010-08-30, Stäfa/Zug, Switzerland - Just in time for back to school, an international study conducted by Hear the World shows that noise levels in the classroom have a considerable impact on a child's physical health and academic performance. The study, which surveyed just short of 500 schoolchildren in Germany, France, Italy, UK, Switzerland and the United States, found that the students reported feeling distracted, irritated and stressed by high levels of noise during class.
Beyond the potential for premature hearing loss due to continuous exposure to loud noises in the classroom, the study revealed that noise coming from the inside and outside of the class ranked high as a reason why students might be having trouble concentrating (6.5 on a scale of 10). In addition, other negative effects of a loud classroom were feelings of stress (5.4), headaches (5.1) and a growing level of aggression (4.6).
Noise in the classroom often comes from a multitude of sources, which in turn, makes it difficult to control. Beyond outside noise like traffic and construction, inside noise sources include student activity, classroom equipment such as computers and projectors, echo within the room, neighboring classrooms and ventilation/heating systems.
Dramatic Rise in the Number of Students with Hearing Loss
Although the study found that noise in the classroom is perceived as a nuisance by students, an increasing number of young people are actively exposing their ears to high noise levels in their free time. Although not solely to blame, MP3 players are one reason why the Journal of the American Medical Association recently found that 1 in 5 U.S. teens are living with some form of hearing loss.
"It is no surprise that teens and young adults today are listening to music longer and potentially louder than years past," states Dr. Craig Kasper, Chief Audiology Officer for Audio Help Associates of Manhattan. "Teenagers often consider hearing loss a phenomenon linked to old age. However, ongoing exposure to loud sounds daily can have a direct impact on your hearing early in life and not just as you age, which points to the ever growing need for education around this issue."
According to the Hear the World survey, 79 percent of MP3 users in the U.S. between 14-19 years of age set the volume higher than 50 percent of the possible volume range and 51 percent set the volume to 70 percent of the possible volume range or higher. Long-term exposure to 80-85 decibels, or any more than 15 minutes exposure to 100 decibels, can lead to hearing loss. Music players like iPods can top 100 decibels when turned all the way up.
Hearing Loss and Academic Performance
If noise levels within the classroom are not lowered appropriately, or if a hearing loss is left undiagnosed, the potential consequences are often underestimated - significantly impacting not only a student's academic performance, but also their emotional growth. With an average noise level in the classroom of 60 decibels, children struggle to understand their teachers, whose voice is measured at an average 65 decibels. With such strong background noise, it is challenging for students with and without hearing loss to follow discussions in class. As a result, students soon find their attention slipping and their motivation decreasing.
"Hearing loss develops gradually, and as a result, can often be overlooked by affected children, their parents and teachers," says Dr. Kasper. "Hearing loss isn't generally considered a possible reason for weaker performance in school. In many cases, lack of focus and motivation in class is wrongfully interpreted as a behavioral issue, when in fact, hearing loss, or difficulty hearing, is actually the root of the problem."
The good news is that special therapies, hearing aids and FM systems for better speech understanding can enable the affected students to follow class more easily, improve their performance and regain their motivation in school.
About Hear the World
Hear the World is a global initiative by leading hearing system manufacturer Phonak created to raise awareness about the importance of hearing. The initiative calls attention to the social and emotional impact of hearing loss and addresses prevention of and solutions to a problem that affects more than 16% of the world's population. Bryan Adams, Annie Lennox, Sting, Plácido Domingo and other renowned personalities support the Hear the World initiative as ambassadors.
In the context of the Hear the World initiative, Phonak has established the non-profit Hear the World Foundation to improve the quality of life of people with hearing loss through financial and technical assistance. The Foundation is committed to the prevention of hearing loss as well as the support of people with hearing loss and their families.
To learn more about Hear the World, visit www.hear-the-world.com.
Taken from www.hear-the-world.com/en/press/.
