Los Angeles, CA - April 7, 2010 - House Ear Institute (HEI) has partnered with 97.1 AMP Radio station for AMP's College Invasion taking place on college campuses throughout Southern California during the month of April.
Teenagers are known to be a challenging audience to reach concerning health issues. HEI was the first organization to make inroads with teens in the area of hearing conservation.
The institute recognizes teenagers are at increasingly high risk for hearing damage from noise, the institute is working to educate teens about noise induced hearing loss. HEI's Sound Partners® teen hearing conservation initiative - It's How You Listen that Counts® has a message focused on prevention.
"Joining forces with a local radio station like 97.1 AMP Radio, which reaches such a strong base of teen and young adult listeners, is a great way for us to engage this high risk sector of the population in the Los Angeles area about the issue of preventing noise-induced hearing loss," said Marilee Potthoff, Director of Community Education & Outreach, House Ear Institute. "Also, our partnership is a great way for a radio station to show it cares about the hearing health of its listeners."
Information on noise-induced hearing loss and tips to prevent it will be available. The mascot for the initiative, Ear Bud®, will appear at several of the station's "College Invasion" venues through the month of April to help draw attention to the camaign.
The dates and locations on the College Invasion include:
4/3 - Western University from 11am-2pm
4/14 - University of California Irvine from 10am-3pm
4/15 - University of California Irvine from 10am-3pm
4/20 - Cal State Long Beach from 10am-3pm
4/21 - Santa Monica College from 12pm-1pm
4/24 - California State JCL Convention at Woodbridge High School, from 11am-2pm
In addition, a national outreach is set to launch on MyYearbook.com in early April running through early June involving more than 26 million exposures to the program's educational messages.
New features this year for the initiative on MyYearbook.com include a "social theater" that features a video and quiz about hearing loss prevention that appears on the homepages of more than 75,000 individuals who log on to the site;hearing loss simulator software for teens to experience what happens to sound when noise-induced hearing loss is present;interactive articles and teen forums about noise-induced hearing loss meant to engage teens and encourage them to think about the issue and share their comments with peers;along with several other types of promotions that serve as entertaining learning experiences for teens and young adults.
"The entertainment factor and peer engagement are key to garnering significant interest among teen audiences in what is a very serious health issue," said Potthoff. The initiative's MyYearbook profile can be found at www.myyearbook.com/earbud.
For more information and the latest news about the teen initiative, visit the House Ear Institute's microsite for the initiative at www.earbud.org/.
About the House Ear Institute
The House Ear Institute (HEI) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to advancing hearing science through research and education to improve quality of life. HEI scientists investigate the cellular and molecular causes of hearing loss and related auditory disorders as well as neurological processes pertaining to the human auditory system and the brain. Our researchers also explore technology advancements to improve auditory implants, hearing aids, diagnostic techniques and rehabilitation tools. The Institute shares its knowledge with the scientific and medical communities as well as the general public through its education and outreach programs.
