Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-8ctnn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-23T19:20:03.571Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Awareness and attitudes towards external auditory canal exostosis and its preventability in surfers in the UK: cross-sectional study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 June 2016

S Morris ,
T Martin ,
D Mccahon  and
S Bennett
S Morris*
Affiliation:
School of Health and Population Sciences, University of Birmingham, UK
T Martin
Affiliation:
ENT Department, Worcester Royal Hospital, UK
D Mccahon
Affiliation:
Clinical Institute of Applied Health Research, University of Birmingham, UK
S Bennett
Affiliation:
School of Health and Population Sciences, University of Birmingham, UK
*
Address for correspondence: Mr Simon Morris, 143 Warwards Lane, Selly Oak, Birmingham B29 7QX, UK Fax: 0121 414 3759 E-mail: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Objectives:

To determine the proportion of UK surfers aware of external auditory canal exostosis, to identify surfer characteristics associated with knowledge of the condition and to explore attitudes to earplug use.

Method:

An online, cross-sectional survey of UK-based surfers.

Results:

Of 375 surfers, 86.1 per cent (n = 323; 95 per cent confidence interval = 82.3–89.3) reported awareness of external auditory canal exostosis. Further investigation revealed that, despite their awareness of the condition, 23.4 per cent of these surfers (88 out of 323; 95 per cent confidence interval = 19.5–28.0) had little or no knowledge about external auditory canal exostosis. Predictors of knowledge included: distance from nearest surfing beach (p = 0.001), surfing standard (ability) (p = 0.008), earplug use (p = 0.024) and positive external auditory canal exostosis diagnosis (p = 0.009).

Conclusion:

The findings suggest that a significant minority of UK surfers have no knowledge about this condition. Knowledge of external auditory canal exostosis was significantly associated with earplug use when surfing. Efforts to improve surfers’ knowledge are required to enable surfers to better protect themselves, which could reduce the incidence of external auditory canal exostosis.

Keywords

AwarenessAttitudeCross-Sectional StudiesEar CanalEar DiseasesEar Protective DevicesExostosesGeneral PractitionersSports
Type
Main Articles
Information
The Journal of Laryngology & Otology , Volume 130 , Issue 7 , July 2016 , pp. 628 - 634
Copyright
Copyright © JLO (1984) Limited 2016 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

Presented at the South West ENT Academic Meeting, 19 June 2015, Bath, and at the British Academic Conference in Otolaryngology, 8–10 July 2015, Liverpool, UK.

References

1Seftel, D.Ear canal hyperostosis - surfer's ear: an improved surgical technique. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 1977;103:58–60Google Scholar
2Everline, C, Nathanson, A, Renneker, M.Surf Survival. New York: Skyhorse, 2011Google Scholar
3King, J, Kinney, A, Iacobellis, S, Alexander, TH, Harris, JP, Torre, P et al. Laterality of exostosis in surfers due to evaporative cooling effect. Otol Neurotol 2010;31:345–51Google Scholar
4Cooper, A, Tong, R, Neil, R, Owens, D, Tomkinson, A.External auditory canal exostoses in white water kayakers. J Sports Med 2010;44:144–7Google Scholar
5Harrison, DF.The relationship of osteomata of the external auditory meatus to swimming. Ann R Coll Surg Engl 1962;31:187–201Google Scholar
6Kennedy, G.The relationship between auditory exostoses and cold water: a latitudinal analysis. Am J Phys Anthropol 1986;71:401–15Google Scholar
7Mlynski, R, Radeloff, A, Brunner, K, Hagen, R.Exostoses of the external auditory canal. Is the cold water hypothesis valid for patients in continental areas? [In German] HNO 2008;56:410–16CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
8Chaplin, J, Stewart, I.The prevalence of exostoses in the external auditory meatus of surfers. Clin Otolaryngol 1998;23:326–30Google Scholar
9Nakanishi, H, Tono, T, Kawano, H.Incidence of external auditory canal exostoses in competitive surfers in Japan. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2011;145:80–5CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
10Kroon, D, Lawson, M, Derkay, C, Hoffmann, K, McCook, J.Surfer's ear: external auditory exostoses are more prevalent in cold water surfers. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2002;126:499–504CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
11United Kingdom Sea temperatures 2014. In: http://www.seatemperature.org/europe/united-kingdom/ [20 February 2015]Google Scholar
12Defra Charting Progress 2. In: http://chartingprogress.defra.gov.uk/feeder/Scetion_3.6_Leisure_and_Recreation.pdf [20 February 2015]Google Scholar
13Surfers Against Sewage. The economic impact of domestic surfing on the United Kingdom. In: http://www.sas.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/SAS-Economic-Impact-of-domestic-surfing-on-the-UK-med-2.pdf [12 February 2015]Google Scholar
14Alexander, V, Lau, A, Beaumont, E, Hope, A.The effects of surfing behaviour on the development of external auditory canal exostosis. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 2015;272:1643–9Google Scholar
15Attlmayr, B, Smith, I.Prevalence of ‘surfer's ear’ in Cornish surfers. J Laryngol Otol 2015;129:440–4CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
16Timofeev, I, Notkinan, N, Smith, IM.Exostoses of the external auditory canal: a long-term follow-up study of surgical treatment. Clin Otolaryngol Allied Sci 2004;29:588–94Google Scholar
17Reddy, V, Abdelrahman, T, Lau, A, Flanagan, PM.Surfers’ awareness of the preventability of ‘surfer's ear’ and use of water precautions. J Laryngol Otol 2011;125:551–3CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
18Hutt, J, Black, K, Mead, S.Classification of surf breaks in relation to surfing skill. J Coastal Res 2001;29:66–81Google Scholar
19Raosoft. Sample Size Calculator. In: http://www.raosoft.com/samplesize.html [20 February 2015]Google Scholar
20Jones, K, Eathington, P, Baldwin, K, Sipsma, H.The impact of health education transmitted via social media or text messaging on adolescent and young adult risky sexual behaviour: a systematic review of the literature. Sex Transm Dis 2014;41:413–19Google Scholar
21Hurst, W, Bailey, M, Hurst, B.Prevalence of external auditory canal exostoses in Australian surfboard riders. J Laryngol Otol 2004;118:348–51Google Scholar
22Altuna Mariezkurrena, X, Gómez Suárez, J, Luqui Albisua, I, Vea Orte, JC, Algaba Guimerá, J.Prevalence of exostoses among surfers of the Basque Coast [in Spanish]. Acta Otorrinolaringol Esp 2004;55:364–8CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
23Deleyiannis, F, Cockcroft, B, Pinczower, E.Exostoses of the external auditory canal in Oregon surfers. Am J Otolaryngol 1996;17:303–7CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
24Lennon, P, Murphy, C, Fennessy, B, Hughes, J.Auditory canal exostoses in Irish surfers. Ir J Med Sci 2015;185:183–7Google Scholar