Singapore Polytechnic
On 12 November 2019, our MSc Audiology students rolled out a hearing awareness event at Singapore Polytechnic to educate youths on the effects of noise induced hearing loss.
Through activities and presentations, they were able to target a total of 337 people: 103 people who attended the Dangerous Decibels programme and 234 people who attended the hearing health exhibit. This helped to create awareness and understanding on the dangers of excessive noise exposure and encourage better hearing practices to reduce the risks of Noise-Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL) among today’s youth.
Our outreach programme successfully targeted the youth, as we understand that early intervention can help prevent NIHL. To assess the effectiveness of the Dangerous Decibels programme, pre- & post- surveys were conducted to analyse changes in knowledge, attitude and behaviours. Through the programme, we saw an improvement in all 3 aspects (Knowledge, Attitude and Behavior) when comparing the response before and after attending the workshop. As such, we can conclude that the Dangerous Decibels session has met our objectives of creating awareness and understanding on the dangers of excessive noise exposure and encouraging better hearing practices to reduce risks of NIHL.
The hearing health exhibit displayed various educational posters, a booth to educate on earplugs and Luna (Sound level meter) that allowed students to measure the sound levels that they are being exposed to while listening to their music. The results were then compared with a chart to establish if they were exposing themselves to dangerous sound levels from their music players. This helped to create awareness and instill self-responsibility in students with regards to taking care of their hearing health. Following the educational posters, SP students took part in an online Hearing Myth Buster Quiz to test their knowledge learnt from the exhibit. This is to educate the participants on safe hearing practices and to debunk any common misconceptions related to hearing and hearing loss. A prize was awarded on completion of the quiz. The exhibit was well received with 234 people who attended.
