Interdisciplinary reflection of academics on noise awareness actions in health promotion

Abstract

Objective: To investigate academics' reflections on interdisciplinary educational initiatives related to noise. Methods: This was a descriptive, quantitative, cross-sectional study involving 105 students (37 from the Acoustic Engineering program and 68 from the Speech-Language Pathology program) participating in Noise Awareness Week. Data were collected by administering a questionnaire addressing the importance, effectiveness, and need for more health promotion initiatives during professional training. Statistica version 9, the Shapiro-Wilk test (normality), and the Mann-Whitney U and Spearman tests (inferential analysis) were used for statistical analysis. Results: Students in the early semesters reported a greater contribution of the initiatives to their education than those in more advanced semesters. Participants in previous editions rated the public's receptiveness better. Speech-language pathology students acquired more knowledge about noise, hearing, and vocal health, and considered the actions more effective than those in Acoustic Engineering and highlighted a greater need for their expansion. Conclusion: Students in both programs considered interdisciplinary actions important for their training, with greater adherence to Speech-language pathology. Students in early semesters rated the actions as more relevant and effective than those in later semesters.