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(Rockville, MD- April 2, 2003) The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) announces the launch of KEEP AN EYE ON YOUR EARS, a new multimedia public service campaign to raise awareness and educate the general public about hearing health. Ramping up national distribution to 1,000 television networks and stations; 500 cable systems; 5,500 radio networks and stations; 5,000 daily and weekly newspapers; and 2,000 magazines, the new campaign will focus on the harmful effects of noise on hearing, health and the quality of life. Glenda Ochsner, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, president of ASHA, made the announcement.
According to Dr. Ochsner, “More than 30 million Americans are exposed to hazardous sound levels above 85 decibels on a regular basis, the level that audiologists identify as the danger zone. Over 28 million people report some degree of hearing loss, including an average of 13 of every 100 school children . Clearly, we need to give people tools to recognize this danger zone as well as tips on how to protect themselves against noise-induced hearing loss. Our new campaign, is a major thrust to accomplish both,” Dr. Ochsner said.
“Before we can educate the public, it is our responsibility to educate the media. Our public education issues need to be top-of-mind with editors and program directors,” commented Brenda Siler, ASHA director of public relations . “They need to quickly see that our message is of vital importance to their audiences. And, we need to accommodate them with flexible public service products that can adapt to a range of space and time availabilities. We’re doing that. Building on our credibility in the media marketplace, this is our third campaign. To date we have tracked $11 million in comparable value of advertising placements. For this, we are truly grateful to the media,” said Siler.
In addition to ASHA, consumer comments show that the public is also grateful for the media’s attention to the campaign. After seeing one of the TV spots, a Florida woman was prompted to call the ASHA Action Center about her daughter. Labeled a dreamer who just didn’t pay attention in class, the child’s language disability had gone undetected by the teachers and her pediatrician. ASHA put the mother in touch with speech-language pathology services close to her home. In comments made to the ASHA Action Center representatives, the mother praised the PSA for helping to improve the quality of life for her child.
Following the first two campaigns, a rise in brochure distribution, an increase in calls to ASHA’s Action Center and the volume of visits to www.asha.org, the organization’s web site, were a testimony to the campaign’s success and associated public benefits. The KEEP AN EYE ON YOUR EARS campaign is expected to continue the growth of market penetration for the ASHA message.
Communication tools such as ASHA’s web site, brochures and Action Center representatives educate consumers on how to easily identify noise above the 85-decibel danger zone. The decibel scales for common offenders such as blenders, garbage disposals, heavy traffic, even a noisy restaurant are at the lower end of the 85-decibel danger zone, while leaf blowers, an ambulance siren, and firecrackers escalate from 110 to 150 decibels respectively.
Also featured in the communication tools are responses to frequently asked questions, an introduction to warning signals for hazardous noise, tips on how to protect hearing, and advice to contact the ASHA Action Center at 1-800-638-8255 for more information. Callers are referred to a certified audiologist in their area who can assess how daily exposure to noise may be threatening their hearing health.
The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) is the national professional, scientific and credentialing association for speech-language pathologists, audiologists, and speech, language, and hearing scientists. ASHA’s mission is to ensure that all people with speech, language, and hearing disorders have access to quality services to help them communicate more effectively.
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