Leisure Noise Effects on Tinnitus Occurrence in Adolescents and Young Adults: Influence of Exposure Duration and Exposure Environment

Background: Reports of tinnitus in adolescents have revealed effects of noise exposure and secondhand smoke (SHS), but information is limited about the intersection of risk factors for auditory health and quantification of noise exposure among young adults. Purpose: This study examined effects of leisure noise exposure duration, noise environment, and SHS exposure duration on tinnitus presence, tinnitus manifestation, and tinnitus duration in adolescents and young adults. A secondary purpose was related to tinnitus examination through a total leisure noise (TLN) quantification that facilitated exploring possible U.S. guidelines for hazardous leisure noise levels. Design: This nonexperimental, cross-sectional design with a convenience sample examined retrospective survey data. Sample: Participants ( n 261; 70 percent female) were nonsmokers including adolescents (n 102; mean age 15.7years) and college students ( n 159; mean age 19.7years). Data Collection and Analysis: Survey responses to 11 questions were collated for statistical analysis, including logistic regression and an exploratory TLN mathematical calculation. Results: Tinnitus presence was 41 percent overall; 72 percent reported occasional tinnitus manifestation and 89.7 percent had intermittent tinnitus duration. Reported noise exposure was 44 percent and SHS exposure was 94.6 percent, overall. Multinomial regression analyses for tinnitus manifestation revealed that occasional/daily tinnitus was 1.96 times more likely in females than in males (a sex effect), and it was 3.46 times less likely in individuals who reported noise exposure in bars/clubs than in those who did not report such noise exposure. Binary regression analyses for tinnitus presence revealed a spurious finding and no significant results for tinnitus duration and SHS exposure. Secondary TLN and TLN hazard cutoff analyses for tinnitus presence, tinnitus manifestation, and tinnitus duration were not significant. Conclusions: In this sample of adolescents and young adults, leisure noise exposure was more influential for reported tinnitus than secondhand smoke exposure. Females were almost twice as likely as males to experience occasional tinnitus, and noise exposure in bars/clubs was less likely to yield occasional tinnitus. TLN analyses provided first reports of statistical trends in U.S. adolescents that may guide future studies addressing leisure noise limits. Clinical Relevance: Case history for adolescents and young adults should prioritize identifying any leisure noise exposure and its source(s) and duration. Assessment in this population should evaluate tinnitus occurrence and duration, and females reporting ear noises without external stimuli should receive dedicated care given their higher risk for occasional tinnitus.