According to Allen Audiology, 20% of all Americans experience some kind of hearing loss. What was a surprise to me was its prevalence in veterans:
"Of the over 800,000 veterans who received disability benefits that year,
148,000 (18.5%) received them for tinnitus or hearing loss; by
comparison, the number receiving compensation for post-traumatic stress
disorder (PTSD) was 42,700 (5.3%)."
I immediately started wondering about how many actual cases of PTSD go unreported and/or untreated, versus hearing damage, which has basically zero stigma for soldiers, and can be diagnosed quantitatively. That being said, it does make sense that so many veterans would have hearing damage, because as the article goes on to say, a soldier's instinct when in combat, fighting among all kinds of firepower, isn't to put in their ear plugs.
But going back to college campuses--you don't need to be in combat to develop hearing loss. According to the American Medical Association, reported in a Daily Mail article, hearing loss has increased 30% in the past 20 years in teenagers, thanks in large part to being voluntarily blasted with loud music through headphones and earbuds. The European Commission recommended a 60/60 guideline, meaning that people should listen to music for no longer than 60 minutes at a time, at a maximum of 60% volume. However, a study done by the Royal National Institute for Deaf People found that 66% of MP3 player users go beyond that recommendation, putting their hearing at significant risk.
Since hearing loss is still incurable for people of most incomes, and there are so many young students and veterans here at UNM, I would hope that the SHC and the SUB would use these statistics to start making profits off of hearing aid batteries, so I don't have to go all the way to Walgreen's on my next emergency pickup.
http://www.allenaudiology.com/military-service-resulting-in-hearing-loss-what-should-we-do/
http://www.pamf.org/teen/health/diseases/mp3hearing.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1303998/iPods-damaging-childrens-ears-Teenage-hearing-loss-rises-30-20-years.html
Emma, I think you touched on the major causes of hearing loss in young adults. I'd like to point out another one. I had many ear infections (otitis media) as a child and as a result, I have lost hearing in low frequencies and low volumes (if I look at you blankly while you are whispering, this is why!). In fact, approximately 2.1% of the global population have hearing loss due to otitis media. That's a lot of hearing aids...
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