Pregnancy and childhood exposure to residential traffic noise and overweight at 7years of age.
Exposure to road traffic noise has been associated with adiposity and diabetes in adults. The suggested pathways have been through sleep disturbance and stress. Children may be particularly susceptible to noise induced sleep disturbance and stress and the effects hereof.



To examine the association between traffic noise exposure during pregnancy and early childhood and adiposity in children.



We identified 40,974 singletons from the Danish National Birth Cohort with parentally given questionnaire information on weight and height at 7-years of age. Road and railway traffic noise were modeled at all historical addresses and expressed as time-weighted means for two exposure periods (pregnancy and childhood). Adiposity was assessed using BMI z-scores and a dichotomous measure of childhood overweight based on age and sex specific cut-offs. Associations were analyzed using linear regression for BMI z-scores and logistic regression for risk of childhood overweight, adjusting for socioeconomic position, maternal BMI, maternal smoking, maternal age, parity and degree of urbanization.



We found both pregnancy and childhood exposure to road traffic noise to be associated with a higher risk for childhood overweight (odds ratio (OR)=1.06 per 10dB, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.00-1.12 for exposure during pregnancy and OR=1.06 per 10dB, 95% CI: 0.99-1.12 for childhood exposure). There were no associations between road traffic noise and BMI z-scores. We found no associations between railway noise and adiposity.



We found suggestions of a positive association between road traffic noise and risk of overweight in 7-years old children.
Diet, Genes and Environment, Danish Cancer Society Research Center, Copenhagen, Denmark. Electronic address: jsc@protonmail.ch.
Jeppe Schultz
JS
Christensen
Diet, Genes and Environment, Danish Cancer Society Research Center, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Dorrit
D
Hjortebjerg
Diet, Genes and Environment, Danish Cancer Society Research Center, Copenhagen, Denmark; Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark.
Ole
O
Raaschou-Nielsen
Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark.
Matthias
M
Ketzel
Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research and Department of Public Health, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, Copenhagen, Denmark; Institute of Preventive Medicine, Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospitals, The Capital Region, Copenhagen, Denmark; MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, Bristol University, Bristol, UK.
Thorkild I A
TIA
Sørensen
Diet, Genes and Environment, Danish Cancer Society Research Center, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Mette
M
Sørensen
D050154:Adiposity; D000328:Adult; D001336:Automobiles; D002648:Child; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D005260:Female; D006798:Housing; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D009624:Noise, Transportation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D016017:Odds Ratio; D050177:Overweight / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
Adolescence; BMI; Overweight; Traffic noise