Prevalence and pattern of hearing loss associated with using earphones among medical students in Al- Madinah region, kingdom of Saudi Arabia: A cross sectional study

Background: Hearing is a complex process of detecting and processing sound, and it is one of the five senses. Hearing can be impaired for many causes like exposure to external noises such as headphones, loud television sounds, and construction sites which eventually can lead to noise-induced hearing loss. Methodology: The participants were randomly selected using a proportional cluster sampling method in March 2022. The target population is medical students who use headphones in Al-Madinah region. The students completed a questionnaire distributed through online platforms. The estimated sample size was 222 students after applying inclusion and exclusion criteria. Results: A total of 222 respondents were included in this study. Almost half of them are aged between 22-24 years. Females were 51.4%, which showed higher hearing loss scores. The prevalence of hearing problems among the study participants was found to be 34.2%. Moreover, we found that there is a significant association between the usage of earphones and hearing loss. Turning the volume up was significantly associated with hearing loss. In terms of how many days a week they use their earphones, most of the participants (67%) use them 3 days or more. About (67%) of participants rate themselves as having no hearing problems. The rest (33%) have hearing problems. Conclusion: According to the results of our study, medical students in the Al-Madinah region had a relatively high prevalence of hearing loss related to earphones usage.