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Science Fair Project: Hearing Disabilities for Men

Hearing disabilities in men are very common, with 61 percent of hearing loss occurring in men. The reason why men experience hearing disabilities at a higher rate than women is due mostly to men's exposure to loud noises throughout their lifetime. There are some interesting science projects that can help a student better understand hearing loss in men. They range from very basic ideas to some more complex, yet interesting, projects.

  1. Making a homeade hearing aid

    • The most common treatment option for men with hearing disabilities involves the use of a hearing aid. Students can better understand how a hearing aid functions by completing a project in which they make their own hearing aid. This can be done using a piece of paper rolled into a tube, with the one end rolled smaller than the other end. The small end should be about the size of a dime. Tape the cone together and have the student hold it to their ear. Turn around the room noting the sound changes while listening. Sound is funneled from the large end of the tube into the smaller end, which then goes directly into the ear. This is how the most common type of hearing aid functions.

    Hearing loss exposure in men due to their work

    • This type of hearing loss commonly affects men due to the nature of their work. Many men work in industries where it is common to be exposed to high decibels of sound. Students can examine different types of work that men more commonly perform than women. They can then investigate the decibel level of certain tools and heavy weight equipment, using the Internet as a resource. For instance, jobs such as construction, heavy equipment operators and military personnel are heavily populated by men and also all involve high noise levels.

    Other reasons why men are more likely to experience hearing loss

    • Not only do men work in noisier industries, but they are also exposed to more noise in their everyday lives. Men are often the ones who make household repairs, mow the lawn, listen to louder music, and fix the car when it does not work. All of these tasks are associated with tools or equipment that produce higher decibels of sound. In order to verify this, students can make a list of common household tasks that are more commonly performed by men and measure those decibels.

    Measuring the decibel level of different sounds

    • To provide a more hands on approach in the exploration of different sounds, the student can perform their own measurements. A sound meter must be purchased from an electronics store. The list of tasks made in the previous step can be used as a guideline of sounds to measure. While measuring the sounds be sure to keep a log and record the measurements. These can later be analyzed according to the decibel level and then determined if it is loud enough to cause damage.

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