h e ar ing hea lth
h earing health foundation
We Want You to Keep Listening, Safely
preventing
NIHL
Hearing Health Foundation’s new public health campaign is aimed at preventing hearing loss from noise among young people.
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hearing health
hhf.org
Hearing Loss and Overall Health
Hearing loss affects the brain, heart, and mental health, leading to social isolation, depression, falls, and even dementia, as mild to moderate untreated hearing loss has been linked to cognitive decline. It also impacts school and job performance: Unaddressed hearing loss is associated with lower income potential and higher unemployment. “Noise-induced hearing loss is the biggest public health emergency that most people don’t know about, even though hearing loss is more common than diabetes or cancer,” says Timothy Higdon, HHF’s president and CEO. “Too few young people—and their parents—recognize that hearing loss can occur at any age due to noise exposure. Teenagers and people in their 20s and 30s wrongly believe hearing loss affects only parents and grandparents—not them. “And that means many are tuned out to the danger of loud volumes heard through headphones and earbuds, and the ear-crushing sound at the movies, concerts, subway stations, gyms, and even weddings. With our ‘Keep Listening’ campaign, we want to help spread the word about the risk from excess noise and encourage everyone to take basic steps to protect their hearing.” The World Health Organization says 1.1 billion young people—or nearly 50 percent of the world’s population ages 12 to 35—are at risk for hearing loss due to prolonged and excessive noise exposure. In the United States, nearly one in five teenagers ages 12 to 19 already shows signs of noise-induced hearing loss. The “Keep Listening” public health ads will run on digital displays in PATH
image credit: the escape pod
The World Health Organization says 1.1 billion young people—or 50 percent of the world’s population ages 12 to 35—are at risk for hearing loss due to prolonged and/or excessive noise exposure. In the United States, nearly one in five teenagers ages 12 to 19 already shows signs of noise-induced hearing loss.
Hearing Health Foundation (HHF), whose mission is to prevent, research, and cure hearing loss and related conditions, launched a powerful outdoor public health ad campaign in June 2021 to drive home the message—especially to young people—that playing music too loud for too long on personal listening devices can cause permanent hearing damage. The visually provocative HHF ads and accompanying digital “Keep Listening” campaign (hhf.org/keeplistening) promote healthy hearing habits for life. While attention-getting, the campaign sends a positive message overall: that young people have the power to prevent noise-induced hearing loss by making simple changes in their listening habits and taking daily precautions. “Keep Listening” shares how proactively turning down the volume on headphones and earbuds and wearing earplugs in loud places, such as sports stadiums and concerts, can help make sure that hearing lasts a lifetime. The campaign includes a 30-second video that subverts the idea of a shiny new tech product launch. Headphones that are revealed to actually be grenades hammer home the message that listening to music on headphones at their maximum volume can cause permanent hearing damage in only a matter of minutes. The video is accessible through various types of online and social media platforms, the better to reach a young target audience.
