Urban road-traffic noise and blood pressure and heart rate in preschool children

doi:10.1016/j.envint.2007.08.003

Environment International

Volume 34, Issue 2, February 2008, Pages 226-231

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2007.08.003 Get rights and content

Abstract

Night time noise exposure has very rarely been used in previous studies on the relationship between community noise and children's blood pressure, although children spend a larger part of their night time sleeping at home than adults. For this reason, we focused on night time noise exposure at children's residences and daytime noise at kindergartens. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of urban road-traffic noise on children's blood pressure and heart rate. A cross-sectional study was performed on 328 preschool children (174 boys and 154 girls) aged 3–7 years, who attended 10 public kindergartens in Belgrade. Equivalent noise levels (Leq) were measured during night in front of children's residences and during day in front of kindergartens. A residence was regarded noisy if Leq exceeded 45 dB (A) during night and quiet if the Leq was ≤ 45 dB (A). Noisy and quiet kindergartens were those with daily Leq > 60 dB (A) and ≤ 60 dB (A), respectively. Children's blood pressure was measured with mercury sphygmomanometer. Heart rate was counted by radial artery palpitation for 1 min. The prevalence of children with hypertensive values of blood pressure was 3.96% (13 children, including 8 boys and 5 girls) with higher prevalence in children from noisy residences (5.70%), compared to children from quiet residences (1.48%). The difference was borderline significant (p = 0.054). Systolic pressure was significantly higher (5 mm Hg on average) among children from noisy residences and kindergartens, compared to children from both quiet environments (p < 0.01). Heart rate was significantly higher (2 beats/min on average) in children from noisy residences, compared to children from quiet residences (p < 0.05). Multiple regression, after allowing for possible confounders, showed a significant correlation between noise exposure and children's systolic pressure (B = 1.056; p = 0.009).

Introduction

Urban road-traffic noise is a major environmental noxious factor. It has been estimated that every fifth EU citizen lives in so called “black acoustic zones” with equivalent noise levels over 65 dB (A), which may be considered as highly stressful (Berglund et al., 1999). Long term noise-induced stress may lead to disturbance of blood pressure regulation through the raise of circulatory stress hormones: adrenaline, nor-adrenaline and cortisol (Maschke et al., 2000). Although the results of numerous epidemiological studies on the relationship between road-traffic noise and hypertension in adults are not consistent, four studies have revealed significant relative risks for hypertension, on the level of 1.5–3.3 for subjects who live in areas with daytime average sound pressure level in the range of 60–70 dB (A) (Babisch, 2004).

Beside studies on adults, there is a scientific need for studies on the effects of environmental noise on children's blood pressure, since blood pressure level in childhood may have a predictive value for blood pressure levels in adulthood (Gillman et al., 1992). However, there have been only four reliable epidemiological studies on road-traffic noise and blood pressure in children, with controlled confounders such as socio-demographic characteristics, children's weight and height, and family history of hypertension. No univocal conclusion can be drawn from the results of these studies. The association between noise exposure and blood pressure was found to be negative and nonsignificant (Lercher, 1992), negative and significant for systolic pressure (Van Kempen et al., 2006), positive and significant for systolic pressure (Evans et al., 2001), and positive and significant for both systolic and diastolic pressure (Regecova and Kellerova, 1995). None of these studies has shown significant relationship between noise exposure and children's heart rate except for negative association found in the Bratislava study (Regecova and Kellerova, 1995).

One of the possible reasons for inconsistency in the results of these studies may be related to usage of daytime noise levels at home as indicators of noise exposure, instead of night time noise levels. However, children spend more time during the day out of homes and more time in the evening and at night sleeping at home than adults (Xue et al., 2004). Frequent occurrences of children's arousal triggered by nocturnal noise may lead to disturbance of the circadian rhythm of cortisol levels that may have a deteriorating effect on blood pressure regulation (Maschke and Hecht, 2004). To avoid this possible exposure bias we have decided to undertake a study on the relationship between noise and blood pressure in children using night time noise at home as an exposure indicator.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of road-traffic daytime noise around kindergartens and night time noise around residences on blood pressure levels and heart rate of preschool children.

Section snippets

Study sample

A cross-sectional study was performed on children aged 3–7 years residing in a downtown Belgrade municipality, who attended 10 public kindergartens. Parents took the children to the kindergartens between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m. and brought them back home between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. Parents were informed about the study and interviewed to obtain their approval for the examination of their children. The inclusion criteria for the sample were three or more years living on the present address and

Results

Correlation analysis between relevant variables from the questionnaire and children's blood pressure levels and heart rate showed that age, body weight, body height, BMI-for-age percentile and family income were significantly and positively related to children's systolic pressure, diastolic pressure and mean arterial pressure (Table 1). Children's heart rate was significantly and positively related to mother's education and family income, and negatively correlated to child's age (Table 1).

Mean

Discussion and conclusions

In our study on preschool children we found higher prevalence of hypertensive values of blood pressure and higher heart rate in children exposed to night time noise at home, in comparison to children living in quiet homes. Systolic pressure was higher among children exposed to noise at home and to noise at kindergartens, compared to children from the two quiet environments.

The small number of children with hypertensive values of blood pressure and borderline significance of differences

Acknowledgement

This study was financially supported by the Ministry of Science and Environmental Protection of Serbia, Project No. 145013, 2006–2010.

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Urban road-traffic noise and blood pressure and heart rate in preschool children

Abstract

Introduction

Section snippets

Study sample

Results

Discussion and conclusions

Acknowledgement

Am J Hypertens

Int J Hyg Environ Health

Health aspects of extra-aural noise research

Noise Health

Community noise exposure and stress in children

J Acoust Soc Am

Assessing the validity of childhood blood pressure screening: unbiased estimates of sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values

Epidemiology

Acoustics—description and measurement of environmental noise—Part l, Basic quantities and procedures

International Standard. ISO 1996-1