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A new study of youths in the
Netherlands finds that those who listen to digital music players with ear buds
at loud volumes were more likely to smoke marijuana, binge-drink, and have
unprotected sex.
The Rotterdam-based authors surveyed
944 low-income students at two vocational schools (age range, 15-25; average
age, 18). Listening to music at 89 dBA (decibel A-weighting) for at least one
hour per day was defined as risky listening; that level of exposure can cause
noise-induced hearing loss.
Compared to responsible listeners,
those students identified as risky MP3-player listeners were 1.99 times more
likely to report marijuana use in the past four weeks; 1.19 times as likely to
smoke cigarettes daily; and 1.10 times more likely report inconsistent condom
use.
Compared to students who listened
safely, those who attended loud concerts and clubs were 5.94 times more likely
to have had five or more alcoholic drinks at one time in the previous four
weeks; 2.03 times more likely to report inconsistent condom use; 1.12 times
more likely be daily cigarette smokers; but 43 percent less likely to report
marijuana use in the past four weeks.
The authors did not conclude that
loud music was leading students to engage in other risky behaviors, but they noted
a strong correlation between them. The researchers suggested that public health
officials could use this knowledge in the design of prevention interventions,
such as passing out condoms along with earplugs at music venues, and printing
warnings about alcohol abuse on ticket stubs. And they said manufacturers
should create “safer listening environments” by designing digital music players
that offer high-quality sound at lower dBA levels.
[PNU editor’s note: The study,
“Risky Music-Listening Behaviors and Associated Health-Risk Behaviors,” was
published online in Pediatrics (2012;doi:10.1542/peds.2011-1948).
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dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
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