WHO-ITU Stakeholders' Consultation on the Make Listening Safe
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WHO-ITU stakeholders’ consultation on the Make Listening Safe initiative MEETING REPORT 17-19 February 2020 WHO headquarters, Geneva, Switzerland i EXECUTIVE SUMMARY WHO-ITU stakeholders’ consultation on the Make Listening Safe Initiative was held in Geneva, Switzerland on 17-19 February 2020 with the following objectives: • Revise the current text of the WHO-ITU Standard for safe listening devices, and discuss ITU comPliance testing Process • Share the Progress in online apProaches for raising awareness among different target audiences such as a media brief on safe listening, a Be Healthy, Be Mobile mHealth tool for safe listening • Initiate discussions on the develoPment of a novel WHO school-based module for safe listening • Share Progress and discuss the develoPment of a regulatory framework for control of recreational sound exPosure in entertainment venues • Finalize the research Protocol for determining the incidence of noise-induced hearing loss in recreational settings Meeting ParticiPants included rePresentatives from all relevant stakeholders in the field, including exPerts in audiology, Public health, acoustics, sound engineering and measurement, sound system and earPlug manufacturers, members of standardization organizations; consumer organizations; youth grouPs; and associations of musicians and venue managers. The Key outcomes and next stePs with resPect to different areas are: • Suggested amendments to the text of the WHO-ITU standards on safe listening devices will be embedded and more changes will be discussed in online ITU hosted meetings during the next months. In addition, inPuts on the ITU comPliance testing document have been requested as the document is exPected to be finalized and Presented in ITU by June. • WHO media brief and mHealth message database will be revised according to the comments Provided during the meeting. Both documents are exPected to be finalized during the second half of 2020. • Based on the ideas and PersPectives gained during the meeting, WHO will initiate the develoPment of a school-based Programme on safe listening in the coming months. • All evidence and PersPectives Presented during the meeting on the WHO regulatory framework for control of loud sounds in entertainment venues will be collated and used for drafting the document. • The research Protocol for determining the incidence of noise-induced hearing loss in recreational settings was finalized. It will be reviewed by WHO and field tested in multiPle locations later this year. 1 INTRODUCTION It is estimated that over a billion young PeoPle worldwide are at risk of hearing loss due to unsafe listening Practices (https://www.who.int/activities/making-listening-safe). In resPonse to this growing Public health Problem, WHO launched the Make Listening Safe initiative in 2015. The initiative aims to reduce the risk of hearing loss Posed by unsafe listening behaviour. In order to facilitate safe listening, WHO has identified the following three strategies: • Implementation of WHO-ITU global standard for safe listening devices • Undertaking a public health campaign for listening behaviour change • Develop a regulatory framework for control of recreational sound exposure To advance this agenda, WHO and ITU adoPted a consultative apProach. Since 2015, WHO has been regularly organizing stakeholders’ consultation meetings with exPerts in audiology, Public health, acoustics, sound engineering and measurement, sound system manufacturers, members of standardization organizations; consumer organizations; youth grouPs; and associations of musicians and venue managers. The 2020 meeting had the following objectives: • Revise the current text of the WHO-ITU standard for safe listening devices, and discuss ITU comPliance testing Process • Share the Progress in online apProaches for raising awareness among different target audiences such as a media brief on safe listening, a Be Healthy, Be Mobile mHealth tool for safe listening • Initiate discussions on the develoPment of a novel WHO school-based module for safe listening • Share Progress and discuss the develoPment of a regulatory framework for control of recreational sound exPosure in entertainment venues • Finalize the research Protocol for determining the incidence of noise-induced hearing loss in recreational settings 2 SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS FEBRUARY 17 Three pre-meeting workshops were held on this day on: 1. WHO-ITU standards for safe listening devices 2. School based Programmes for safe listening 3. Research Protocol on assessment of incidence of noise-induced hearing loss School based programmes for safe listening Alarcos Cieza exPlained the need of ideas to exPlore and develoP a school-based Programme, since the target audience of the Make Listening Safe initiative has always been children and adolescents. Dr Cieza highlighted how imPortant it would be to Provide information in any school setting, which would Promote behavioural change not only among the children but also in initiating a culture of safe listening Practices among the PeoPle around them. William Hal Martin and Deanna Meinke introduced Dangerous Decibels Programme as an evidence-based Programme intended to reduce the incidents of noise-induced hearing loss and tinnitus. Dangerous Decibels is an international PartnershiP between exPerts in hearing sciences, Public health, noise, evaluation, and education. The classroom Programme consists of 9 modules intended to be delivered in a limited 30 ParticiPant setting equiPPing low tech, Portable, low cost consumables. The training of the trainers is done through a 2 day workshoP. Joseph Cerquone Presented the work of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association on the Listen to your buds campaign. The target audience of the camPaign are children and youth aged 5 to 18 years. The camPaign consists of different activities including a music concert and fun activities for the kids to deliver the safe listening messages, e.g. by using music enhancers (earPlugs) if the music is too loud. The Planning of the concerts begins at least nine months Prior and includes selection of schools, talking to the musicians and ensuring they understand the context of the camPaign along with the messages they will be delivering. 3 Demonstration of Dangerous Decibels programme William Hal Martin demonstrated the classroom Programme of the Dangerous decibels to the meeting ParticiPants and the WHO colleagues. It was an interactive session which included basic knowledge of the Physiology of the ear and Process of hearing, and what hapPens as a result of listening to loud sounds. Session included Pictograms and live demonstration of few daily activities that could be harming the ears. WHO-ITU Standards for safe listening devices Masahito Kawamori oPened the session providing uPdates on the WHO-ITU standard for safe listening devices. Mr Kawamori introduced the ProPosed new features of the text, including new tyPes of Personal audio system devices, gaming devices, sensitivity range and frequency resPonse of headPhones, Profiles for different categories of Personal audio system, imPlementation Points 4 and volume limit. Mr Kawamori also introduced the toPic of conformance testing sPecification for WHO-ITU standard that is Planned to be discussed during the day. Roxana Widmer-Iliescu briefed on the imPlementation of the WHO-ITU standard. Till date, over 4,000 stakeholder rePresentatives in more than 10 thematic regional and global events have been made aware of the standard through advocacy and awareness raising. The imPlementation toolkit is also being translated in all UN official languages. As a steP forward, further information dissemination will be imPlemented through 2020 World Summit on the Information Society. Simao De Campos said that the technical committee of ITU at Present is working on two documents - a version two of the apProved standard with some revisions included and a test checklist of asPects on how to test the imPlementation. Mr CamPos highlighted that two features need to be tested - dose measurement and messaging. These are two essential elements for the conformance testing. Shelly Chadha added to the discussion by introducing the PurPose of the conformance testing, namely, to have an informal yet standardized and ITU-apProved apProach for accessing conformance with the standard. The conformance testing document would need to define what is that needs to be tested, how will it be tested, and the criteria for conformance. During the full day of discussions, it was decided that ParticiPants in the meeting will Provide comments and suggestions on the comPliance testing document through the ITU system and those will be discussed in a subsequent meeting in APril. In addition, different amendments of the text were Provisionally accePted by ITU and will be finalized in an online meeting in APril. Research Protocol on assessment of hearing loss The working grouP on the research Protocol for assessment of incidence of noise-induced hearing loss in entertainment venues gathered and sPent the day working on the document. The document was finalized and sent to Dr Chadha for inPuts and revision, Prior to internal review. 5 FEBRUARY 18 The consultation was oPened by Ren Mingui, Assistant Director General, WHO, who welcomed all ParticiPants with great Pleasure. Dr Mingui stressed the imPortance of the work WHO does on safe listening and emPhasized that the aim of the initiative is to ensure that PeoPle keeP enjoying the Pleasure of music and listening throughout their life in a safe manner.