Self-rated health status in relation to aircraft noise exposure, noise annoyance or noise sensitivity: the results of a cross-sectional study in France

Abstract

Background Noise is a major public health issue because of its negative impacts on health, including annoyance, sleep disturbance, cardiovascular diseases and altered cognitive performance among children. Self-rated health status (SRHS) can be considered as a reliable indicator of quality of life, morbidity and mortality but few studies have considered SRHS in relation to aircraft noise exposure. The present study aims to investigate the association between this exposure and SRHS of people living near airports in France, and to consider the mediating or moderating role of aircraft noise annoyance and noise sensitivity in this association. Methods This cross-sectional study included 1242 participants older than 18 and living near three major French airports. Information on their SRHS, aircraft noise annoyance, noise sensitivity and demographic, socioeconomic and lifestyle factors was collected during a face-to-face interview performed at home. Outdoor aircraft noise levels were estimated for each participant’s home address using noise maps. Logistic regressions with adjustment for potential confounders were used. The moderating and mediating effects of aircraft noise annoyance and noise sensitivity were investigated following Baron and Kenny’s recommendations. Results A significant association was shown between aircraft noise levels and a fair/poor SRHS, only in men (OR=1.55, 95%CI 1.01–2.39, for a 10 dB(A)-increase in Lden). This relationship was higher in men highly sensitive to noise (OR=3.26, 95%CI 1.19–8.88, for a 10 dB(A)-increase in Lden). Noise sensitivity was associated with a fair/poor SRHS significantly in women (OR=1.74, 95%CI 1.12–2.68) and at the borderline of significance in men (OR=1.68, 95% CI 0.94–3.00), whereas aircraft noise annoyance was associated with a fair/poor SRHS only in men (OR=1.81, 95%CI 1.00–3.27). Conclusion The present study confirms findings in the small number of available studies to date suggesting a positive association between aircraft noise levels and a fair/poor SRHS. These results also support the hypothesis that noise sensitivity would moderate this association. However, a mediating effect of annoyance cannot be excluded.

Perceived Noise Pollution and Self-Reported Health Status among Adult Population of Bangladesh

“…Earlier research established a link between socio-demographic status and perceived noise exposure [ 11 , 12 , 25 , 26 ]. Additionally, several studies assessed self-reported noise-related health status using socio-demographic data [ 1 , 13 , 21 ]. Our findings revealed that younger individuals reported more noise-related health problems, similarly as in another study that found that younger persons may be more likely to be impacted by noise [ 12 ].…”

“…The draft questionnaire was developed using previous research and discussion with experts [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 ]. Additionally, a pilot survey was conducted among a sample of university students to validate the questionnaire.…”

“…Noise pollution has developed into a significant public health problem [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]. Numerous studies have examined the detrimental effect of noise pollution on people’s health [ 1 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ].…”

“…Noise pollution has developed into a significant public health problem [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]. Numerous studies have examined the detrimental effect of noise pollution on people’s health [ 1 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]. The burden of noise pollution’s health consequences is estimated to be the second highest after air pollution [ 3 , 8 ].…”

Risk of cardiovascular mortality, stroke and coronary heart mortality associated with aircraft noise around Congonhas airport, São Paulo, Brazil: a small-area study

“…), were based on flight information and supported by measurements taken at several monitoring stations around the airport. The INM software used to model noise has been accredited for use in national aircraft noise monitoring and used repeatedly in health impact assessments of exposed population [ 29 ] including in the landmark HYENA study [ 7 ]. The model validity was therefore considered strong enough to use its outputs in this epidemiological study.…”