Secondary school students sought for validation study on hearing damage among young people

Why this study?

Secondary school students are at risk of hearing damage from listening to loud music, and it is important to prevent this. The NCJ guideline ‘Early detection of hearing loss in children and young people (0–18 years)’ states that youth healthcare services should assess hearing-related behaviour at least once during secondary school using questionnaires. At present, however, no validated screening questionnaire is available. In addition, there is a great need at both national and local level for insight into how many young people have hearing damage or are at risk of developing it. For these reasons, VeiligheidNL and Erasmus MC, commissioned by the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport, are developing a validated questionnaire to assess the risk of hearing damage. The topics covered will be ‘listening with earbuds or headphones’ and ‘going out’.

What does VeiligheidNL ask of the youth healthcare organisation or school?

To validate this questionnaire, VeiligheidNL is asking youth healthcare organisations and schools to help recruit secondary school students to participate in this study on listening behaviour and hearing damage among young people. The study involves comparing a completed questionnaire about behaviour related to listening to music and risk behaviour with objectively measured listening behaviour, recorded via the students’ smartphones. VeiligheidNL asks participating youth healthcare organisations and schools to bring the validation study to the attention of secondary school students and encourage them to participate. The study began at the end of 2020, and VeiligheidNL aims to recruit 250 participants. To ensure that the study is as representative and reliable as possible, VeiligheidNL aims for an even distribution between lower and upper years and between VMBO, HAVO and VWO students.

What does VeiligheidNL ask of the youth healthcare nurse or teacher?

VeiligheidNL asks the youth healthcare nurse or teacher to share information about the study with the relevant classes, enthuse the students and distribute the information flyer about the study to the students and their parents. Naturally, before the study begins, VeiligheidNL will go through the procedure together with the nurses or teachers involved.

What does VeiligheidNL ask of the young person?

Students can download the VolumeTracker app (developed specifically for this study) onto their phones and register in the app. They will then receive an information letter and consent form at home, requesting written permission from their parents or guardians to participate in the validation study. Once consent has been given, the student’s listening behaviour will be monitored in the VolumeTracker app for one month, and the participant will receive a questionnaire via the app every week. Students who complete the entire study will receive a Bol.com gift voucher via the app at the end, and they will have a chance to win noise-cancelling headphones.

Approval and privacy

This validation study has been approved by the Medical Research Ethics Committee (METC) of Erasmus MC. The METC also carefully examines the participants’ privacy and how data about the participants are handled.

More information or registration

For more information about the study or to register directly as a youth healthcare organisation or school, please contact Anne-Marie van Beijsterveldt, researcher at VeiligheidNL, at [email protected] or 06-43 01 14 34.