Hearing

Sound levels in nightclubs are dangerously high. We administered the Dangerous Decibels hearing-health intervention to nightclub staff to test its efficacy. In a single group, repeated measures were taken before training, a week after training and at 3？months after training. A nightclub in the city of Auckland, New Zealand. We delivered training to 20 people who work in nightclubs: bar staff, disc jockeys (DJs), security staff and police. We assessed supports and barriers towards hearing-health behaviour, knowledge, attitudes and self-reported behaviour at the three time points. The ratio of supports to barriers for good hearing-health behaviour improved 1？week after training and continued to improve at 3？months. Participants’ knowledge increased after training and was maintained 3？months later. Attitudes and self-reported behaviour did not change. The continued improvement in supports-to-barriers ratio at 3？months post-training has not been observed previously and may reflect a change in participants’ thinking as a result of the intervention. The lack of change in self-reported behaviour implies that the effect of acculturation to loud music in nightclubs was not wholly overcome