Annoyance and activity disturbances caused by road traffic noise - field studies on the influence of access to quietness.

• Socio-acoustic surveys were carried out to assess health effects of various soundscapes in residential areas. The study was designed to test the hypothesis that having access to a quiet side of the dwelling enhances recovery and decreases annoyance and other adverse health effects related to noise. The dwellings in the different study sites chosen were exposed to sound levels from road traffic noise ranging from about LAeq,24h 45 dB to 68 dB at the most exposed side. The study involved 956 individuals aged 18 to 75 years. Half of them lived in dwellings with access to a quieter side and the other half had similar sound levels at the most exposed side but had no access to a quiet side. The results give clear evidence of health benefits of having access to a shielded, quieter section of the dwelling. Percentage annoyed respondents for sound levels of LAeq,24h 53-57 dB was lower (11 versus 22 %) if people had access to a shielded, quieter side of the dwelling. For sound levels of LAeq,24h 63-68 dB, the difference in annoyance was larger (38 versus 57 %) among those who had access to a quieter side. Disturbance of daytime restoration was the most pronounced daytime disturbance next to annoyance and possibilities to open the windows.

Ämnesord

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Hälsovetenskap -- Folkhälsovetenskap, global hälsa, socialmedicin och epidemiologi (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Health Sciences -- Public Health, Global Health, Social Medicine and Epidemiology (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

noise health effects annoyance

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