Occupational noise management: A preliminary study on compliance with hearing conservation programme in Malaysia’s manufacturing industry

Occupational noise hazards are one of the most common workplace safety concerns. Prolonged exposure to loud noise without adequate hearing protection can result in either temporary or permanent hearing loss. Using data collected from a sample of 27 safety officers from manufacturing companies in Malaysia, the present study aimed to examine the implementation of occupational noise management in Malaysia’s industry by evaluating their compliance with elements of hearing conservation programme (HCP). The results showed only 67% of the companies had a noise control policy despite the noise levels reported exceeding the permissible exposure level. Hearing protection device (HPD) usage was reported by most of the companies indicating their awareness towards danger posed by high noise levels. While international companies indicated greater compliance with appropriate occupational noise management practice, small and locally owned companies lagged behind and may require further guidance and assistance in implementing a better occupational noise management programme. Additionally, the present study found that the level of occupational noise awareness among the management of locally owned companies was low. This finding requires attention from policy makers with regard to the importance of regular checks and enforcement of noise regulations in the industry

Malay-translated version and content validation of parent goals for shared reading questionnaire

The interaction between adults and children during shared reading contributes to the conversation and reading in hand and makes the activity interactive. It is, therefore, imperative to understand parents’ goals for shared reading with their children as it will influence their behaviour and, in turn, affect their children’s development of language and literacy skills. In Malaysia, no local psychometric instrument identifying parent goals for shared reading is available. This study aims to translate the English version of the Parent Goals for Shared Reading Questionnaire (PGSRQ) into Malay and validate the translated questionnaire. Four qualified translators carried out the translation processes, and a panel of eight experts subsequently validated the Malay-translated version of PGSRQ. Of 33 items, the validation assessment revealed that 17 items had a content validity ratio (CVR) value of 1.0, while 12 items had a CVR value of 0.8. Only four items had a CVR value lower than 0.78 and were retranslated and modified. The findings of this study can pave the way for more research efforts in the field of shared reading in Malaysia. The questionnaire can also assist a speech therapist in assessing the goals that parents have on shared reading to come up with better designs for shared book reading intervention

Development and Validation of a Virtual Moving Auditory Localization (vMAL) Test among Healthy Children

Introduction: The ability to localize sound sources is crucial for humans. Due to specific hearing disorders, the affected individuals may have problems to accurately locate the sound sources, leading to other unwanted consequences. Nevertheless, a simple auditory localization test (that employs moving auditory stimuli) is currently lacking in clinical settings. Essentially, the objectives of the present study were to develop a virtual moving auditory localization (vMAL) test that is suitable for assessing children and assess the validity and the reliability of this test. Materials and Methods: This study consisted of two consecutive phases. In phase 1, the required stimulus and the test set up for the vMAL test were established. Two loudspeakers were employed to produce five virtual positions, and eight different moving conditions were constructed. In phase 2, 24 normal-hearing Malaysian children (aged 7-12 years) underwent the vMAL test. The validity and the reliability of this test were then assessed using several validation measures. Fleiss Kappa and Spearman correlation analyses were used to analyse the obtained data. Results: The vMAL test was found to have good convergent validity (kappa = 0.64) and good divergent validity (kappa = -0.06). Based on the item-total correlation and Spearman coefficient rho results, this test was found to have good internal reliability (rho = 0.36-0.75) and excellent external (test-retest) reliability (rho = 0.99). Conclusions: in this study a new vMAL test was developed and proven to be valid and reliable accordingly for its intended applications. This test can be useful in clinical settings since it is simple to administer, cost-effective, does not take up much room, and can assess auditory localization performance in children. The outcomes of the present study may serve as preliminary normative data as well as guidelines for future auditory localization research

A preliminary content validity study of the Malay version of READI-SF

Readiness for treatment reflects the individual’s motivation to seek help and preparedness to engage in treatment activities. The READI-SF aimed to assess parental readiness to engage in treatment. The present study aimed to translate the English version of READI-SF into the Malay language and subsequently assess its content validity using the content validity ratio (CVR), content validity index (CVI) and modified kappa analyses. Four independent translators carried out the translation procedures. Eight clinical professionals were involved as content experts. Of 17 items, six items needed to be revised due to low CVR values (< 0.75). Based on unfavourable individual CVI (I-CVI) results (< 0.78), two items (for item relevancy) and six items (for item clarity) had to be modified. The overall CVI of the questionnaire (S-CVI) was found to be good (i.e., 0.91 for item relevancy and 0.83 for item clarity). Nine items needed to be revised, and the modifications were carried out accordingly. At the end of the study, a valid Malay-translated READI-SF was produced. It has good potential to serve as a clinical tool to assess the readiness of Malay-speaking parents to engage in treatment. However, prior to its intended clinical application, further research is warranted to assess other aspects of validity (e.g., face validity, construct validity, and criterion-related validity), as well as READI-SF reliability

The effectiveness of Bisinglah, BEB! A classroom-based hearing conservation programme for youth

Similar to other developing countries, youths in Malaysia are at risk of suffering from noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) due to extreme leisure noise exposure. To minimize the incident of NIHL among youth, a Malay classroom-based hearing intervention programme known as Bisinglah, BEB! (in English: HEY! It’s Loud!) has been developed. The programme consists of five modules; i) Sound energy, ii) Anatomy and hearing mechanism, iii) Hearing loss, iv) Dangerous sound, and v) How to protect our ears. As such, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Bisinglah, BEB! programme in increasing youth’s knowledge and promoting a healthy hearing attitude towards noise. Eighty participants were assigned into two groups (intervention and control). All participants completed a set of questionnaires (Youth Attitude Towards Noise Scale-Malay, YANS-M and quiz) to measure their attitude and knowledge at baseline, 1-month and 3-month post-intervention sessions. Only participants in the intervention group filled in the post-immediate questionnaire after completing the intervention. It was found that gender did play a significant role in describing the participants’ attitude and knowledge towards the noise. The post-immediate measurement score for the intervention group exhibited a significant improvement compared to the baseline (p < 0.05). These improvements were maintained for at least three months after undergoing the programme. To conclude, the Bisinglah, BEB! programme was reasonably effective in encouraging healthy hearing attitudes and knowledge towards noise. However, further research is warranted to investigate the long-term effects of this programme involving larger youth samples in Malaysia

Are the Normative Values of Sensorineural Acuity Level (SAL) Test Affected by Head Circumferences of Subjects?

Introduction: Sensorineural acuity level (SAL) test is believed to be helpful in estimating bone conduction thresholds in masking dilemma cases. However, before the SAL normative data can be used in clinical settings, there is a need to study the fundamental variable related to SAL normative data such as head circumference. As such, the purpose of the current study was to compare SAL normative values between subjects with bigger and smaller head circumferences at different frequencies. Materials and Methods: In this study, 48 healthy Malaysian adult subjects (aged between 18 and 50 years) were enrolled. Pure tone audiometry (PTA) and SAL test were subsequently conducted based on the recommended protocols. The SAL normative values were then compared between subjects with bigger and smaller head circumferences. Data analysis methods included paired t-test, effect size, and Bayesian approach. Results: No significant differences were noted in the SAL results when the two groups were compared, implying that the SAL normative data were not influenced by the head circumference (p &gt; 0.05, BF10 = 0.232-0.708). Conclusions: Based on the findings of this study it appears that the SAL test results are not affected by the head sizes of the subjects. Future SAL test studies may use the normative SAL values established in the current study as a guide