Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2014 Jan;3(1):17-21.
doi: 10.4103/2249-4863.130262.

Self-ear-cleaning among educated young adults in Nigeria

Adedayo Olugbenga Olaosun  1
Affiliations

Self-ear-cleaning among educated young adults in Nigeria

Adedayo Olugbenga Olaosun. J Family Med Prim Care. 2014 Jan.

Abstract

Context: Self-ear-cleaning has been reported to be common from several hospital-based studies and it has been associated with some diseases of the ear.

Aims: To determine community-based prevalence of self-ear-cleaning and its sociodemographic correlates among educated young adults in Nigeria.

Settings and design: A cross-sectional survey conducted in a National Youth Service Corps camp in Nigeria.

Subjects and methods: Semistructured questionnaires were administered on a randomly selected sample of 1280 respondents. The outcome variable was self-ear-cleaning. Independent variables were sociodemographic variables, materials used and ear-cleaning habits.

Statistical analysis used: Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 15 was utilized for univariate, bivariate, and multiple logistic regression analysis.

Results: There were 1012 respondents (M: F = 1.05:1). Mean age was 25.3 (standard deviation, 2.34). Prevalence of self-ear-cleaning was 93.4%. Mean age at first cleaning was 7.6 years. Cotton buds were the most frequently used objects (in 85.1%). Prevalence was high irrespective of sociodemographic class, significantly higher among females (χ(2) = 4.549, P = 0.033), those who believed the habit was beneficial (χ(2) = 114.185, P < 0.001) and those whose parents and siblings practiced the habit. Significant predictive factors were self-ear-cleaning in respondent's father [odds ratio (OR) P = 0.011) and owning cotton buds (OR = 0.192, P = 0.007).

Conclusions: Self-ear-cleaning is almost universal. Most of the population is, therefore, at risk of possible harmful effects. Also, medical advice against self-ear-cleaning is not widely known. Rather, the erroneous perception that self-ear-cleaning is beneficial is common. Collaborative health education efforts targeted at families and schools and campaigns and advocacy for legislation regulating the sale of cotton buds are recommended.

Keywords: Correlates; Nigeria; educated young adults; prevalence; self-ear-cleaning; socio-demographic correlates.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: None declared.

References

    1. Afolabi AO, Kodiya AM, Bakari A, Ahmad BM. Attitude of self ear cleaning in black Africans: Any benefit? East Afr J Public Health. 2009;6:43–6. - PubMed
    1. Lee LM, Govindaraju R, Hon SK. Cotton bud and ear cleaning: A loose tip cotton bud? Med J Malaysi. 2005;60:85–8. - PubMed
    1. Hobson JC, Lavy JA. Use and abuse of cotton buds. J R Soc Med. 2005;98:360–1. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Macknin ML, Talo H, Medendrop SV. Effect of cotton-tipped swab use on ear-wax occlusion. Clin Pediatr (Phila) 1994;33:14–8. - PubMed
    1. Jung TT, Jinn TH. Diseases of the External Ear. In: Snow JB Jr, Ballenger JJ, editors. Ballenger's Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery. 16th ed. Ontario: Decker; 2003. pp. 230–48.