User:Jennifer.ruths/sandbox

Draft of Hearing Conservation For Kids:

Overview

Due to increased worry among both parents and experts regarding Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) in children, it has been suggested that hearing conservation programs be implemented in schools as part of their studies regarding health and wellness. The necessity for these programs is supported by the following reasons: 1. Children are not sheltered from loud noises in their daily lives, and 2. Promoting heathy behaviors at a young age is critical to future application. The creation of a hearing conservation program for children will strongly differ from those created for the occupational settings discussed above. While children may not be exposed to factory of industrial noise on a daily basis, they may be exposed to noise sources such as firearms, music, power tools, sports, and noisy toys. All of these encounters with noise cumulatively increases their risk for developing Noise-induced hearing loss. With NIHL being a fully preventable ailment, providing children with this type of education has the potential to reduce future incidence of this condition. There are multiple organizations in existence that provide educators with the appropriate material to teach this topic; teachers simply need to be proactive about accessing them. Below are examples of hearing conservation programs that have been designed specifically for children.

Creation of Programs

This is the primary goal of most hearing conservation programs at the elementary, middle, and high school levels is to spread knowledge about hearing loss and noise exposure. When an educational program is being created or adapted for use with children, behavior change theories are often employed to increase effectiveness. Behavior theory identifies possible obstacles to change while also highlighting factors that may encourage students to change. The following are elements that are also considered during the implementation of a new program for children:

1. Adaptation of the program for the specific population (age, demographic, etc.)
2. Use of interactive games, lessons, and role-playing
3. Time to apply the skills that are taught
4. Reoccurring lessons on the same topic area

Examples of programs

1. Dangerous Decibels- Dangerous Decibels is a program designed to teach concepts related to the prevention of noise-induced hearing loss. Proven to be effective for children in 4th through 7th grade, children are engaged in hands-on activities during this 50-minute presentation. The class will learn about what sound is, how their ears hear and detect it, and how they can protect their hearing from dangerous decibels. Throughout the program, the class focuses on three strategies: Turn it Down, Walk Away, and Protect your Ears.
2. It's a Noisy Planet. Protect Their Hearing. - Organized by the United States National Institutes of Health, this is a campaign created with the aim to increase parental awareness of both the causes and effects of noise induced hearing loss. By targeting parents instead of children, the goal is for adults to influence the behaviors of their children before bad habits are even created. Resources provided include web-based games and puzzles, downloadable graphics, and tips for school and home environments.
3. Listen to your Buds- Created by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, this campaign aims to teach children and their parents about practicing safe listening routines when listening to music through personal devices, such as an iPod. With the help of sponsors, ASHA hosts an educational concert series to promote safe music listening.
4. Cheers for Ears- Run by the Ear Science Institute of Australia, this school program was created to educate elementary-age children on the risks of high listening levels and the effects of hearing loss. Program has a mascot named Charlie and utilizes sound level meters, computer games, apps, and take-home packets to teach the concepts. Teachers also receive addition activities and worksheets for continued learning opportunities.
5. Sound Sense- Created by The Hearing Foundation of Canada, the Sound Sense classroom program teaches children how hearing works, how it can stop working, and offers ideas for safe listening. The classroom presentation satisfies the requirements for the science unit on sound taught in either grade 3 or 4, as well as the healthy living curriculum in grades 5 and 6. In addition, the webpage provides resources & games for children, parents, and teachers.

Effectiveness & Program Evaluation

Just as program evaluation is necessary in workplace settings, it is also an important component of educational hearing conservation programs to determine if any changes need to be made. This evaluation may consist of two main parts: assessment of students' knowledge and assessment of their skills and behaviors. To examine the level of knowledge acquired by the students, a questionnaire is often given with the expectation of an 85% competency level among students. If proficiency is too low, changes should be implemented. If the knowledge level is adequate, assessing behaviors is then necessary to see if the children are using their newfound knowledge. This evaluation can be done through classroom observation of both the students and teachers in noisy classroom environments such as music, gym, technology, etc.

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Hello

I plan to edit the article currently titled "Hearing Conservation Program." Right now, the article is mainly about work-related hearing conservation. I want to add a section on hearing loss prevention programs for children. It would be nice for parents to be able to read a section on the prevention of hearing loss for their kids in an educational or community-based setting.

Griest, S. E., Folmer, R. L., & Martin, W. H. (2007). Effectiveness of “Dangerous Decibels,” a school-based hearing loss prevention program. American Journal of Audiology, 16(2). doi:10.1044/1059-0889(2007/021)

Gallihugh, N. (2007). Implementation of a hearing loss prevention program in a school setting. Perspectives on Hearing Conservation and Occupational Audiology, 11(1), 4. doi:10.1044/hcoa11.1.4

Folmer, R. (2008). Hearing-loss prevention practices should Be taught in schools. Seminars in Hearing, 29(1), 067-080. doi:10.1055/s-2007-1021774

Folmer, R. L., Griest, S. E., & Martin, W. H. (2002). Hearing conservation education programs for children: A review. Journal of School Health, 72(2), 51-57. doi:10.1111/j.1746-1561.2002.tb06514.x

Martin, W. H., Sobel, J., Griest, S. E., Howarth, L., & Yongbing, S. (2006). Noise induced hearing loss in children: Preventing the silent epidemic. Journal of Otology, 1(1), 11-21. doi:10.1016/s1672-2930(06)50002-9