title: High-frequency profile in adolescents and its relationship with the use of personal stereo devices.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To analyze and correlate the audiometric findings of high frequencies (9-16 kHz) in adolescents with their hearing habits and attitudes, in order to prevent noise-induced hearing loss.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a descriptive cross-sectional study, which included 125 adolescents in a sample of normal-hearing students, at a state school. The subjects performed high-frequency audiometry testing and answered a self-administered questionnaire addressing information on sound habits concerning the use of personal stereo devices. The sample was divided according to the exposure characteristics (time, duration, intensity, etc.) and the results were compared with the observed thresholds, through the difference in proportions test, chi-squared, Student's t-test, and ANOVA, all at a significance level of 0.05.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Average high-frequency thresholds were registered below 15 dB HL and no significant correlation was found between high frequency audiometric findings and the degree of exposure.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The prevalence of harmful sound habits due to the use of personal stereo devices is high in the adolescent population, but there was no correlation between exposure to high sound pressure levels through personal stereos and the high-frequency thresholds in this population.
authors.affiliation: Universidade Tuiuti do Paraná (UTP), Curitiba, PR, Brazil. Electronic address: renatasaa@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Renata Almeida Araújo
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Silvestre
authors.affiliation: Universidade Tuiuti do Paraná (UTP), Curitiba, PR, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ângela
authors.initials: Â
authors.lastname: Ribas
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR), Curitiba, PR, Brazil.
authors.forename: Rogério
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hammerschmidt
authors.affiliation: Universidade Tuiuti do Paraná (UTP), Curitiba, PR, Brazil.
authors.forename: Adriana Bender Moreira
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: de Lacerda
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D001301:Audiometry, Pure-Tone; D001309:Auditory Threshold / Q000502:physiology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006184:Habits; D006317:Hearing Loss, Noise-Induced / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009146:Music; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors
keywords: Adolescent; Adolescente; Audiometria; Audiometry; Hearing loss; MP3 player; Perda auditiva; Prevenção primária; Primary prevention