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ASANews
Noisy Planet and ASA: Partnering to Help Youth Develop Healthy Hearing Habits
Melissa McGowan, M.H.S., CHES
Deputy Communications Director
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders National Institutes of Health mcgowanm@nidci.nih.gov
The science of sound and the science of hearing go hand in hand (or is that ear in ear?). No matter which aspect of acoustics—musical, architectural, physical, underwater to name a few you are fascinated by—it is the ability to hear and enjoy sounds that enhances the human experience and our quality of life. That is why the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders’ It’s a Noisy Planet. Protect Their Hearing® is proud to be collaborating with the Acoustical Society of America to encourage youth to develop healthy hearing habits and prevent noise-induced hearing loss.
For millions of people, the ability to appreciate the acous- tics of an amphitheater or hear the voice of a loved one is made more difficult because they have hearing loss. Some of these people have noise-induced hearing loss, the only form of hearing loss that is completely preventable. Nearly 26 mil- lion American, ages 20 – 69, have high frequency hearing loss due to exposure to loud noises, either at work or during leisure activities.
In June 2008, the NIDCD launched the Noisy Planet cam- paign, a national education program to increase awareness among children, ages 8 to 12, about the causes and preven- tion of noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). With this infor- mation, parents, health professionals, educators, and other adults help children (and themselves) protect their hearing by encouraging them to adopt healthy hearing habits. These healthy habits include three simple steps:
• Lower the volume. Set the volume on electronic devices to a level that allows you to still hear what’s going on around you.
• Move away. Put some distance between you and the noise
source to reduce the impact on your ears.
• Wear hearing protectors. Have earplugs or earmuffs on
hand, and use them if you can’t leave a noisy place.
Noisy Planet has been reaching the campaign’s target audi- ences through several outreach efforts, most notably through partnerships with organizations like ASA.
As one of Noisy Planet’s longest collaborators, ASA has been instrumental in helping expand the campaign’s hearing loss prevention messages. Working with ASA is a natural fit, giv- en the Society’s involvement in the study of noise, its mea- surement, its effects, and ways to reduce noise to improve the human environment. In addition to linking to each oth- er’s website, Noisy Planet has presented to ASA’s Education Committee and introduced them to Noisy Planet’s science- based information on hearing loss prevention. Recently, Noisy Planet encouraged youth and their parents to visit ASA’s Listen to Sounds and Explore Sounds websites to en- joy interesting animal noises while learning more about the science of acoustics. Through these activities, Noisy Planet hopes that youth will begin to engage with and understand the science of acoustics and noise, and start taking the steps necessary to protect their hearing.
Another key activity to reach preteens with healthy hearing messages is through outreach to schools. Noisy Planet staff have been providing 45-minute, interactive presentations to students in grades 3-8 in the greater Washington, D.C. area. Since June 2010, Noisy Planet staff have reached more than 12,500.
Noisy Planet is in the process of developing a training guide that will allow other interested adults, whether they are edu- cators, health professionals, or acoustics experts, to give the presentation and expand the reach of this engaging activ- ity to more youth across the country. Stay tuned for future announcements on how you can get involved in helping youth learn about the science of hearing and how to develop healthy hearing habits.
As an ASA member, Noisy Planet encourages you to visit the website at www.noisyplanet.nidcd.nih.gov. The website in- cludes a range of materials from free fact sheets to shareable images and Web banners and interactive quizzes and games for preteens. Please feel free to link to our website, share our images and graphics, and sign up for the Noisy Planet E- bulletin, which provides regular updates on partner activi- ties, new publications and materials, and other activities. If you have an opportunity to work with preteens and parents, Noisy Planet encourages you to contact us for free materi- als at NPInfo@nidcd.nih.gov or 800-241-1044. And we wel- come any and all feedback on our materials and how we can work with ASA and its membership to amplify our healthy hearing habit messages!
52 | Acoustics Today | Winter 2015