Hearing and Sound Source Identification With Protective Headwear

Abel, Sharon M.; Ducharme, Michel B.; Werf, D. van der

doi:10.7205/milmed-d-09-00149

Cited by 3 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Obviously, the skier's ability to localize the direction of the sound may be a very useful tool for that purpose. Nevertheless, to the best of our knowledge, there is no single study in skiing science literature dealing with that problem, even though it has previously been identified in military medicine [14][15][16]. When the sophisticated kevlar protective army helmet is worn, it might diminish the auditory localization ability [16].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 90%

The influence of ski helmets on sound perception and sound localisation on the ski slope

Ružić

Tudor

Radman

et al. 2015

Int J Occup Med Environ Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Objectives: The aim of the study was to investigate whether a ski helmet interferes with the sound localization and the time of sound perception in the frontal plane. Material and Methods: Twenty-three participants (age 30.7±10.2) were tested on the slope in 2 conditions, with and without wearing the ski helmet, by 6 different spatially distributed sound stimuli per each condition. Each of the subjects had to react when hearing the sound as soon as possible and to signalize the correct side of the sound arrival. Results: The results showed a significant difference in the ability to localize the specific ski sounds; 72.5±15.6% of correct answers without a helmet vs. 61.3±16.2% with a helmet (p < 0.01). However, the performance on this test did not depend on whether they were used to wearing a helmet (p = 0.89). In identifying the timing, at which the sound was firstly perceived, the results were also in favor of the subjects not wearing a helmet. The subjects reported hearing the ski sound clues at 73.4±5.56 m without a helmet vs. 60.29±6.34 m with a helmet (p < 0.001). In that case the results did depend on previously used helmets (p < 0.05), meaning that that regular usage of helmets might help to diminish the attenuation of the sound identification that occurs because of the helmets. Conclusions: Ski helmets might limit the ability of a skier to localize the direction of the sounds of danger and might interfere with the moment, in which the sound is firstly heard.

show abstract

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 90%

The influence of ski helmets on sound perception and sound localisation on the ski slope

Ružić

Tudor

Radman

et al. 2015

Int J Occup Med Environ Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In total, 21 adults with normal hearing (10 males and 11 females) with a mean age of 24.3 ± 4.1 years were included in this study. The sample size was estimated according to a previous study (90 % statistical power) on hearing and sound source localisation with military helmets [ 1 ] . Prior to the actual measurements, all subjects underwent otoscopic and audiometric examination of their hearing at the Department of Hearing, Speech and Voice Disorders of the Innsbruck Medical University.…”

Section: Study Participantsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This is consistent with other studies on sound source localiza- tion which yielded 94 % correct scores under the condition head bare [ 1 , 2 ] . In a study by Abel et al [ 1 ] , wearing a military combat helmet with neck and mandible guards resulted in a signifi cant decrease in sound source identifi cation of 12 %. In addition, other studies on sound localization [ 2 , 22 ] found that accuracy decreased as the degree of ear coverage increased.…”

mentioning

confidence: 98%

“…These authors found that neither the application of adhesive tape ("ear taping") nor wearing a scrum cap showed a signifi cant drop in hearing threshold [ 9 ] . In a study by Abel et al [ 1 ] , free-fi eld hearing thresholds were measured from 250 Hz to 8 000 Hz with the head bare and fi tted with a military combat helmet alone and with diff erent additional guards for the neck and the mandibles. They found that wearing a military combat helmet alone and with diff erent guards neither aff ected hearing nor provided signifi cant sound attenuation [ 1 ] .…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In a study by Abel et al [ 1 ] , free-fi eld hearing thresholds were measured from 250 Hz to 8 000 Hz with the head bare and fi tted with a military combat helmet alone and with diff erent additional guards for the neck and the mandibles. They found that wearing a military combat helmet alone and with diff erent guards neither aff ected hearing nor provided signifi cant sound attenuation [ 1 ] . In contrast, Tudor et al [ 26 ] stated that wearing a ski helmet could infl uence the level of the hearing threshold in frequencies between 2 and 8 kHz compared to a ski cap.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Effect of Wearing a Ski Helmet on Perception and Localization of Sounds

et al. 2014

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Helmet use on ski slopes has steadily increased worldwide over the past years. A common reason reported for helmet non-use, however, is impaired hearing. Therefore, an intra-subject design study was conducted to compare hearing thresholds and sound source localization of 21 adults with normal hearing in an anechoic chamber when wearing a ski helmet and ski goggles or wearing a ski cap and ski goggles to the condition head bare. Hearing thresholds while wearing a ski helmet (6.8 ± 1.6 dB HL) and ski cap (5.5 ± 1.6 dB HL) were significantly different (p = 0.030, d = 0.44). Compared to head bare (2.5 ± 1.2 dB HL), a significant difference was found for the ski helmet only (p = 0.040, d = 1.57). Regarding sound source localization, correct scores in the condition head bare (90%) showed a highly significant difference compared with those of condition cap (65%) and helmet (58%), respectively (p < 0.001; d > 2.5). Compared to the ski cap, wearing the helmet significantly reduced correct scores (p = 0.020, d = 0.59) irrespective of the tested sound pressure levels. In conclusion, wearing a ski helmet impairs hearing to a small though significantly greater extent compared with a cap, the degree, however, being less than what is termed as a hearing impairment. Compared to the condition head bare, wearing a ski cap or a ski helmet significantly reduced one's ability of sound source localization.

show abstract

Hearing Problems Among the Members of the Defence Forces in Relation to Personal and Occupational Risk Factors

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Introduction The Defence Forces’ members are exposed to high-level noise that increases their risk of hearing loss (HL). Besides military noise, the other risk factors include age and gender, ototoxic chemicals, vibration, and chronic stress. The current study was designed to study the effects of personal, work conditions-related risk factors, and other health-related traits on the presence of hearing problems. Materials and Methods A cross-sectional study among active military service members was carried out. Altogether, 807 respondents completed a questionnaire about their health and personal and work-related risk factors in indoor and outdoor environments. The statistical analysis was performed using statistical package of social sciences (descriptive statistics) and R (correlation and regression analysis) software. Results Almost half of the active service members reported HL during their service period. The most important risk factors predicting HL in the military appeared to be age, gender, and service duration. Also, working in a noisy environment with exposure to technological, vehicle, and impulse noise shows a statistically significant effect on hearing health. Moreover, we could identify the effect of stress on tinnitus and HL during the service period. Most importantly, active service members not using hearing protectors, tend to have more tinnitus than those who use it. Conclusions The members of the Defence Forces experience noise from various sources, most of it resulting from outdoor activities. Personal and work conditions-related risk factors as well as stress increase the risk of hearing problems.

show abstract

Hearing and Sound Source Identification With Protective Headwear

Cited by 3 publications

References 0 publications

The influence of ski helmets on sound perception and sound localisation on the ski slope

The influence of ski helmets on sound perception and sound localisation on the ski slope

Effect of Wearing a Ski Helmet on Perception and Localization of Sounds

Hearing Problems Among the Members of the Defence Forces in Relation to Personal and Occupational Risk Factors

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About