title: The effect of wind turbine noise on sleep and quality of life: A systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies.
abstract: Noise generated by wind turbines has been reported to affect sleep and quality of life (QOL), but the relationship is unclear. Our objective was to explore the association between wind turbine noise, sleep disturbance and quality of life, using data from published observational studies. We searched Medline, Embase, Global Health and Google Scholar databases. No language restrictions were imposed. Hand searches of bibliography of retrieved full texts were also conducted. The reporting quality of included studies was assessed using the STROBE guidelines. Two reviewers independently determined the eligibility of studies, assessed the quality of included studies, and extracted the data. We included eight studies with a total of 2433 participants. All studies were cross-sectional, and the overall reporting quality was moderate. Meta-analysis of six studies (n=2364) revealed that the odds of being annoyed is significantly increased by wind turbine noise (OR: 4.08; 95% CI: 2.37 to 7.04; p<0.00001). The odds of sleep disturbance was also significantly increased with greater exposure to wind turbine noise (OR: 2.94; 95% CI: 1.98 to 4.37; p<0.00001). Four studies reported that wind turbine noise significantly interfered with QOL. Further, visual perception of wind turbine generators was associated with greater frequency of reported negative health effects. In conclusion, there is some evidence that exposure to wind turbine noise is associated with increased odds of annoyance and sleep problems. Individual attitudes could influence the type of response to noise from wind turbines. Experimental and observational studies investigating the relationship between wind turbine noise and health are warranted.
authors.affiliation: University of Oxford, Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine, Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, New Radcliffe House, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, Oxford OX2 6GG, United Kingdom. Electronic address: igho.onakpoya@phc.ox.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Igho J
authors.initials: IJ
authors.lastname: Onakpoya
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Sciences and Medicine, Bond University, Gold Coast, Queensland 4229, Australia.
authors.forename: Jack
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: O'Sullivan
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-4696, USA.
authors.forename: Matthew J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.affiliation: University of Oxford, Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine, Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, New Radcliffe House, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, Oxford OX2 6GG, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Carl J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Heneghan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009622:Noise / Q000009:adverse effects*; D064887:Observational Studies as Topic; D011788:Quality of Life; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D014919:Wind
keywords: Annoyance; Quality of life; Sleep; Systematic review; Wind turbines; meta-analysis