Dangerous Decibels Program in Elementary and Middle School Students: Effectiveness After a 6-Month Follow-Up

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this article was to assess the effectiveness of the Dangerous Decibels (DD) program in students in the short- and medium-term follow-ups (up to 6 months), including an online game. Method: A randomized trial was conducted between two interventions (DD and placebo). The research included 58 participants who were divided into two groups: the study group (SG) and the control group. The following phases were developed: intervention (DD or placebo), post–3-month assessment and availability of the online game, and post–6-month assessment. A questionnaire was administered to assess their performance. Overall total scores and category scores were obtained. Results: Improved overall scores were found in the SG in the immediate post-intervention ( p = .004), post–3-month ( p = .022), and post–6-month ( p = .002) questionnaires, as well as the knowledge and behavior categories. Conclusions: The DD program effectively improved the knowledge and behavior of 10- to 12-year-old children regarding noise in the short- and medium-term follow-ups. However, no significant changes were achieved in terms of barriers only by using the program and the online game. Adding a second intervention (the online game) to the program seems to be a good option to maintain the changes achieved with the interactive class.