Pooled prevalence estimates of exposure to excessive noise from personal listening devices (PLDs)
| Personal listening devices | |||||
| Number, records | Effect size (95% CI) | Test of null (two-tailed) | |||
| Point estimate | Lower limit | Upper limit | P value | ||
| Pooled prevalence | 17 | 23.81% | 18.99% | 29.42% | <0.01 |
| Age category | |||||
| Adults | 7 | 23.10% | 8.90% | 48.03% | <0.01 |
| Minors | 5 | 27.10% | 21.25% | 33.88% | <0.01 |
| Mixed | 5 | 21.55% | 14.65% | 30.53% | <0.01 |
| Income group | |||||
| High income | 13 | 24.51% | 19.35% | 30.53% | <0.01 |
| Middle income (upper+lower middle) | 4 | 22.12% | 7.15% | 51.17% | <0.01 |
| Risk criteria definition | |||||
| Daily (LAeq >80 dB) | 3 | 12.95% | 5.10% | 29.20% | <0.01 |
| Daily (LAeq >85 dB) | 5 | 21.36% | 13.50% | 32.09% | <0.01 |
| Weekly (LAeq >80 dB) | 4 | 36.37% | 29.18% | 44.22% | <0.01 |
| Other* | 5 | 23.15% | 11.28% | 41.67% | <0.01 |
Estimates are presented overall and stratified according to age, income level and risk criteria definition.
Adults (18–34 years), minors (12–19 years), mixed (12–34 years).
High income: ≥US$12 696 gross national income (GNI) per capita; middle-income (including low-middle and high-middle income countries): US$4096–12 695 GNI per capita, according to World Bank Income group classification FY22.23
*Studies specified duration of exposure and objectively measured intensity but did not explicitly state a standard permissible exposure limit.
LAeq, equivalent continuous sound pressure level is the constant noise level that would result in the same total sound energy being produced over a given period.