[The estimate of well-being and self-assessed health status in urban population in various acoustic areas].
Comparative analysis among 357 inhabitants, who live in two areas: noisy (above 70 dB /A/) and moderate (below 57 dB /A/) showed significant differences between the groups in many variables under consideration. This differences, after eliminating socio-economic influences and behavior factors such as: gender, age, economical conditions, education or smoking confirmed existence of relation between living condition caused by motorization and life quality, well-being and self assessed health of inhabitants. Details showed, that urban intensive traffic noise disturbs realization of many important daily activities, evoke emotional tension, irritation, nervousness. In group of people from noisy areas more often are observed characteristic mental pressure caused by noise, throat and eyes irritation, disturbances in rest, speech, listen to music, sleep, and when going to sleep. Feeling of discomfort and annoyance dominates. More often there is a need to close or seal up the windows, use earplugs or take a sleeping pills. Relative risk of appearance of disturbances mentioned above or mental and emotional reactions in group of people who are exposed to high noise from 3 do 6 times bigger in comparison with people from quiet area. Apart from a decrease in the mental comfort and live quality, intensive traffic noise has a big influence on well-being and self assessed health status. The intensification of complaints and symptoms of neurotic character are observed in noisy areas. Most of these problems are connected with cardiovascular system (palpitation, constriction in chest, hot flush, tiredness after effort) and excessive nervous stimulation. Long lasting influence of noise is probably also a cause for a frequent nervousness, feeling of tiredness after night sleep and overstress, troubles with concentration or distinct reduction of well-being (feel unhappy and miserable, inability to cope with troubles, reduce ability to take of decisions). Additionally, the escalation of troubles probably connected with bigger air pollution (frequent dry cough, sneezing, nasal stuffing) is observed in areas of intensive traffic noise. Relative risk of appearance mentioned above unfavourably health symptoms in group of people from noisy areas is about 1.5 times higher than in areas below 57 dB /A/. Analyzed data did not confirm hypothesis on influence of traffic noise on increasing appearance of diseases confirmed by physician. In both areas noisy and quiet morbidity are similar. Also consumption of medicines was similar.
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Zakład Higieny Komunalnej Państwowy Zakład Higieny 00-791 Warszawa.
D005221:Fatigue / Q000209:etiology; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D009622:Noise / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011044:Poland; D014505:Urban Population