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The Effect of Using an Active Earmuff on High Frequency Hearing in United States Marine Corps Weapons Instructors
Jeremy Federman1, Stephanie Karch1, Christon Duhon2
1Submarine Medicine and Survival Systems, Naval Submarine Medical Research Laboratory, Groton, CT 06349, USA.
Objectives:
To investigate the change in hearing and perceived comfort over 1 year related to using an active hearing protection device (HPD) among United States Marine Corps (USMC) personnel routinely exposed to hazardous noise.
Methods:
USMC Weapons Instructors (n = 127) were issued an active earmuff that met military standards and was compatible with other protective equipment. These participants completed pre- and post-hearing tests and comfort surveys. A control cohort (n = 94) was also included to compare individual changes in high-frequency pure tone average (HF-PTA) over 1 year.
Results:
The control group's HF-PTA was 3 dB worse than the intervention group after only 1 year. Survey responses revealed perceived improvements in the ability to hear and understand, situational awareness, and safety.
Conclusions:
Active HPDs can reduce hearing loss and improve hearing-related occupational tasks.
