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BACKGROUND: College students risk hearing loss due to loud sound exposure during leisure activities. Hearing loss prevention is possible by reducing the noise from the source, using hearing protection devices and increasing their knowledge and awareness on the effects of loud sound exposure. OBJECTIVE: The study aims to assess the knowledge and attitude of college students regarding hearing loss and its prevention. STUDY DESIGN: A cross-sectional study design with a survey method was adopted. A total of 94 college students (mean age: 22 years; range: 18 to 26) who were pursuing an undergraduate and postgraduate degree (50 males and 44 females) formed the part of the study. The researcher administered a standardized self-reported Knowledge, Attitude and Behaviour questionnaire. The knowledge score in percentage and absolute scores for attitude were estimated. RESULTS: The mean knowledge score was 35.8 (SD ± 12.18; range: 12.5-75), and the attitude score was + 9.8 (SD ± 7.1; range: - 4 to + 30). Chi square test revealed no significant association between knowledge and attitude to sociodemographic characteristics. CONCLUSION: The study indicated that though college students lack knowledge, they had a positive attitude regarding hearing health and its protection. These findings implicate the importance of creating awareness and encouraging hearing protection strategies for college students.
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Background and Objectives: : This study aimed to develop and validate a modified version of the Speech in Noise Sentence Test in Kannada, which would be appropriate for testing the speech comprehension ability of children aged 8-12 years. Subjects and Methods: : A total of 120 sentences were chosen from 200 familiar sentences and split into four lists. Continuous discourse was used as a competition or distractor. Using MATLAB, the target stimulus was presented at 0-degree azimuth while the distractor's location varied (+90° and -90° azimuth). The test was programmed to dynamically adjust the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) based on participants' responses. After initial validation, a pilot study was conducted with 60 typically hearing children aged 8 to 12 years. Results: : The SNR50 scores significantly improved when the distractor and target sentences were spatially separated across all groups. Age had a significant influence on the spatial separation scores. The test-retest reliability was excellent. Conclusions: : The developed stimuli effectively measured spatial separation, and the normative and psychometric analyses demonstrated reliable outcomes.
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BACKGROUND: Attention and habituation are two domains known to play key roles in the perception and maintenance of tinnitus. The heterogeneous nature of tinnitus and the methodologies adopted by various studies make it difficult to generalize findings. The current review aims at assessing and synthesizing evidence on the possible roles of attention and habituation in continuous subjective tinnitus. METHODOLOGY: The literature search included five databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Sciences, CINAHL and ProQuest) that resulted in 1,293 articles, published by July 2019. Studies on attention and/or habituation in individuals with tinnitus using either behavioural or electrophysiological tests were included in the review after a quality assessment. RESULTS: Seventeen studies on attention in tinnitus were included in the narrative synthesis. Two meta-analyses were performed to assess the role of attention in tinnitus using a behavioural methodology (z = 4.06; p < 0.0001) and P300 amplitude (z = 2.70; p = 0.007) with 531 participants. With respect to habituation, the review indicates the lack of quality articles for habituation inclusion in the narrative synthesis. CONCLUSIONS: The review highlights that selective domains of attention were consistently impaired in individuals with tinnitus. Habituation, on the other hand, needs further exploration.
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OBJECTIVE: The primary purpose of this study was to establish normative for 18 parameters of Motor Speech Profile (MSP; Computerized Speech Lab; KayPENTAX, Lincoln Park, NJ) in Indian population, specifically for Kannada-speaking adults across age and gender. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. METHOD: Native Kannada speakers (n = 300) were divided into three age groups (20-40, 41-50, and 51-60 years) with 50 males and 50 females in each group. The obtained data are reported across age and gender for the parameters of diadochokinetic rate, second formant transition, and voice and tremor characteristics of MSP software. RESULTS: Across gender, a statistically significant difference (P < 0.05) was seen for seven parameters; whereas across age, a statistically significant variation was seen for nine parameters in the age group of 51-60 years than other groups (20-40 and 41-50 years). CONCLUSION: Establishment of the normative is essential for the effective use of acoustic analysis as an objective tool. The findings of the present study serve as a norm-based reference for MSP software in Indian population, aged between 20 and 60 years.
