A Cochrane review [Abstract] 1 [withdrawn from publication] included 6 studies with a total of 3 917 subjects. A computer-based intervention lasting 30 minutes, tailored to the risk of an individual worker, was not found to be more effective than a video providing general information among workers, around 80% of whom already used hearing protection. A four year school-based hearing loss prevention programme found that the intervention group was twice as likely to wear some kind of hearing protection as the control group that received baseline hearing test and two additional tests at years two and three.
Two meta-analyses were conducted; there was a statistically significant difference favouring participants receiving tailored strategy (the use of communication or other types of interventions that are specific to an individual or a group and aim to change behaviour) compared to non-tailored strategy (MD 5.82%, 95% CI 2.80 to 8.84; 2 studies, n= 1727) in the mean percentage time using a hearing protection device in areas required, although the overall effect was small. In the comparison of a tailored strategy versus control (a commercially available video on the use of hearing protection), there was also a statistically significant difference favouring participants receiving the tailored intervention (WMD 6.24%, 95% CI 3.18 to 9.29; 2 studies, n=1712).
Tailored education (addressing individual characteristics) showed an improvement in hearing protection device use of 8.3% versus targeted education (addressing shared worker characteristics) ( 6.1%).
Comment: The quality of evidence is downgraded by study quality (unclear allocation concealment and high attrition rate) and by imprecise results (limited study size for each comparison).
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