Preliminary survey on the effects of indoor noise in the hospital located close to Tan Son Nhat Airport

Abstract

An awareness of the harmful effects of environmental noise on vulnerable populations is crucial for improving current guidelines for the design of welfare facilities and land use planning in developing countries. This paper aims to identify the impact of aircraft noise on patients' health in areas with a high frequency of aircraft noise. To achieve this, a preliminary investigation was conducted in September 2022 at a hospital located approximately 1 km from the southeast runway end of Tan Son Nhat Airport (TSN) in Ho Chi Minh City. The noise levels inside and outside the hospital rooms were measured throughout the day to assess the noise exposure levels. The health data of 28 nursing staff living in the hospital's inpatient ward and four patients were collected through face-to-face interviews and the heart rate variability (HRV) of two of them was measured by using portable electrocardiograph monitors attached to their bodies. As an objective evaluation of the effects of noise, HRV data was analyzed to reveal the impact of noise exposure on health. The noise exposure and health data were then analyzed using multivariate analysis. The results of the analysis provide a clear understanding of the impact of aircraft noise on patients' health in areas with a high frequency of aircraft noise.