title: Knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, and noise exposure of baristas.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the daily noise exposure of baristas working in cafés, and to measure their knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors regarding hearing conservation and perceptions of noise in their work environment.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifteen baristas from six cafés in Portland completed the Knowledge, Attitudes and Behaviors questionnaire, a sound disturbance survey, and a structured interview to document perceptions of noise in the work environment. To measure daily noise exposure, a subset of eight participants wore a personal dosimeter for three different work shifts.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 11 females and four males, aged between 19 and 36 years old (mean: 26.3, SD: 4.6) recruited from independently owned cafés in the Portland metro area.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Dosimetry measurements revealed Leq measurements between 71 and 83 dBA, with noise doses ranging from 4% to 74%, indicating that baristas are not exposed to sound levels above the regulatory criterion. Questionnaire results indicated that baristas have low awareness about the hazards of noise, are not opposed to hearing conservation, and rarely use hearing protection when engaged in noisy activities.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Baristas here lacked the pertinent education and motivation to commit to invaluable hearing conservation practices.
authors.affiliation: a Program in Audiology and Communication Sciences , Washington University School of Medicine , St. Louis , USA and.
authors.forename: Alyssa J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Pursley
authors.affiliation: b National Center for Rehabilitative Auditory Research (NCRAR), Portland VA Medical Center , Portland , USA.
authors.forename: Gabrielle H
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Saunders
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009622:Noise; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000032:analysis*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Hearing conservation; cafés; health belief model; noise-induced hearing loss; questionnaires