Impact of an Educational Program on Nursing Students' Knowledge of Noise-Induced Hearing Loss and Its Role in Promoting Healthy Hearing

Data was obtained from 183 nursing students who fulfilled the inclusion criteria using a structured knowledge assessment tool.</p><p dir="ltr"><b>Results: </b>Most of the sample were female (78.69%). Most participants were aged between 18 and 23 years (90.71%). Prior to the intervention, 75.40% of students had low knowledge regarding NIHL, with only 11.48% demonstrating high knowledge levels.

The structured teaching program significantly improved knowledge scores, as reflected in the interquartile range (IQR) for the pre-test knowledge score (3 to 27) with a median of 12.50. Post-intervention, the IQR condensed to 22 to 30, and the median knowledge score significantly increased to 15.00. Additionally, 40.44% of participants shifted to higher knowledge levels post-test.

The statistical significance of the observed improvement is validated by a P-value of 0.001. Furthermore, 84.2% of participants reported regular use of headphones, with 62.8% stating that their parents were not concerned about their listening habits.</p><p dir="ltr"><b>Conclusion: </b>The study revealed that the teaching program was effective in improving nursing students' knowledge regarding NIHL, equipping them with the awareness necessary to advocate for hearing conservation.

With an alarming percentage of young adults regularly exposed to hazardous noise levels and parental oversight often lacking, the urgency of preventive education cannot be overstated.</p><h2 dir="ltr">Key words:</h2><p dir="ltr">Noise-Induced Hearing Loss, Nursing Students, Knowledge, Structured Teaching Program, Hearing Conservation.</p>