{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,4]],"date-time":"2026-08-04T15:07:43Z","timestamp":1785856063205,"version":"3.56.0"},"reference-count":52,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"24","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,12,7]],"date-time":"2021-12-07T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1638835200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/100014653","name":"NIHR Manchester Biomedical Research Centre","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["IS-BRC-1215-20007"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["IS-BRC-1215-20007"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100014653","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["IJERPH"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Earplugs can reduce the risk of hearing loss and tinnitus. However, earplug use during noisy recreational activities is uncommon, and methods for increasing uptake and regular use have had limited efficacy. The aim of the present study was to examine barriers and enablers of ever-performers (e.g., people who have used earplugs) and never-performers (e.g., people who have not used earplugs) to identify targets to inform the content of interventions to increase uptake and regular use of earplugs in recreational settings. The Capabilities, Opportunities, and Motivations model of Behaviour (COM-B) informed the outline for 20 semi-structured telephone interviews (ever-performers, N = 8, age range = 20\u201345 years; never-performers, N = 12; age range = 20\u201350 years). Thematic analysis was used to identify barriers and enablers to earplug use, which were mapped onto the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF). Six key domains of the TDF were identified. Ever-performers described being more exposed to \u2018social influences\u2019 (e.g., facilitators such as friends\/peers) and were more positive than never-performers concerning \u2018beliefs about consequences\u2019 (e.g., earplug protection outweighs any negative effects on listening\/communication). Involvement of \u2018emotion\u2019 (e.g., fear of losing ability to listen to music) and \u2018reinforcement\u2019 tactics (e.g., creating habits\/routines) were discussed by ever-performers, but were not mentioned by never-performers. Both groups reported lack of \u2018environmental context and resources\u2019 (e.g., prompts and cues), and their own \u2018memory, attention, and decision processes\u2019 (e.g., deciding when to use earplugs) as barriers to earplug use. The present research identifies the variables that would need to change in order to increase earplug uptake and use in recreational settings among ever-performers and never-performers. Further work is required to translate these findings into testable interventions by selecting appropriate intervention functions (e.g., modelling), policy categories (e.g., communication\/marketing), behaviour change techniques (e.g., demonstration of behaviour), and mode of delivery (e.g., face-to-face).<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph182412879","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,12,7]],"date-time":"2021-12-07T09:52:29Z","timestamp":1638870749000},"page":"12879","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":11,"title":["Identifying Targets for Interventions to Increase Earplug Use in Noisy Recreational Settings: A Qualitative Interview Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"18","author":[{"given":"Michael T.","family":"Loughran","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Manchester Centre for Health Psychology, School of Health Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester M13 9PL, UK"},{"name":"Manchester Centre for Audiology and Deafness, School of Health Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester M13 9PL, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3635-863X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Samuel","family":"Couth","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Manchester Centre for Audiology and Deafness, School of Health Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester M13 9PL, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Christopher J.","family":"Plack","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Manchester Centre for Audiology and Deafness, School of Health Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester M13 9PL, UK"},{"name":"Department of Psychology, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YF, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Christopher J.","family":"Armitage","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Manchester Centre for Health Psychology, School of Health Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester M13 9PL, UK"},{"name":"Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester M13 9QN, UK"},{"name":"NIHR Greater Manchester Patient Safety Translational Research Centre, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,12,7]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"World Health Organization (2021, June 01). 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