Association Between Headphones Usage Duration and Hearing Loss Symptoms Among Medical Students

Abstract

Background: Prolonged use of personal listening devices has become increasingly prevalent among university students, raising concerns about early auditory damage due to unsafe listening practices. Medical students represent a high-risk group because of extended academic and recreational headphone use. Objective: To determine the association between the duration of headphone usage and self-reported hearing loss–related symptoms among medical students. Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted from September to December 2024 among 264 medical students aged 18–26 years at two medical institutions in Lahore. Data were collected using a structured, self-administered questionnaire assessing headphone usage patterns, listening behaviors, and hearing-related symptoms on a five-point Likert scale. Associations between headphone usage duration and hearing-related symptoms were analyzed using the Chi-square test, with p<0.05 considered statistically significant. Results: The mean age of participants was 21.73 ± 2.01 years, and 56.1% were female. Daily headphone use exceeded one hour in 68.6% of students, and 95.5% reported cumulative use for more than three years. A significant association was observed between daily headphone usage duration and frequency of asking others to repeat themselves (χ²=32.68, p<0.001), as well as between cumulative years of headphone use and difficulty hearing in noisy environments (χ²=25.10, p=0.014). Conclusion: Prolonged headphone usage is significantly associated with hearing-related symptoms among medical students. These findings highlight the need for targeted educational interventions to promote safe listening behaviors and reduce the risk of early auditory impairment.