Abstract
Objective: To verify the use of electronic device (iPods, MP3s, cell phones, and PCs) by teenagers who are students in public schools of São Paulo, Brazil.
Method: Carried out in a school in São Paulo/Brazil in 2011 and involving students from 10 to 17 years. The sample answered a questionnaire containing questions which referred to electronic devices: type of phones (external, internal, and occlusive), times and places used, elevated volume. Chi-square was done and considered P < .05.
Results: Among the 249 teenagers studied, 55.8% were girls, the average age was 12.6 years (±1.42 years). Use of phones: 89.9% girls and 73.6% boys (P = .01). Type: 17% external, 18.9% internal, and 64.1% occlusive. Time of usage: cell phone, - >1 h/d by 26.4% girls and 38.3% boys (P = .03); iPod/MP3, - >1 h/d by 26.4% girls and 18.5% boys (P = .06). Related to the places: 50% streets, 87% home, 45% car, 31% subway, 47% bus, and 21% park. Elevated volume in cell phone: 28% by girls and 35.8% by boys (P = .83); in iPod/MP3, 16.7% and 25.9% (P = .06) for girls and boys, respectively.
Conclusion: The elevated percentage of teenagers using electronic devices in an inadequate way points to the necessity of concerning the topic as a way to avoid risks and future auditory loss.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.