Educational system to estimate the sound levels of earphones in teenagers

Abstract

The use of personal stereo equipment by teenagers is a reality observed in our day-to-day lives, and the intensity levels used are alarming. Objective: To present an educational system to track the sound levels of earphones of teenagers who are users of portable sound equipment (PSE). Method: 49 teenagers of a public school in the State of São Paulo composed the sample. Estimations of the Sound Pressure Level (SPL), filter A, were made using an educational system to estimate the sound pressure level. This system was developed by the Dangerous Decibels.org® program and named Jolene (United States) and Gisele D’Barulho (Brazil). The obtained answers were analyzed in a descriptive way in percentage, average, median and mode values. Results: The value sets to sound pressure level, obtained through the Gisele D’Barulho was 104 dB (A), and the highest levels were found in the male group. The system proved effective in motivating young people to participate in the research. Conclusions: this system to track the sound intensity level met the educational objectives of showing the participants which sound volume they were using. This technique allowed to show that they are using their portable sound equipment with intensity above of what is recommended, increasing the chances of having hearing problems in the near future.