Road Traffic Noise Exposure and Risk of Hypertension in Taiwan

Abstract

O-29A9-2 Background/Aims: Epidemiological studies have demonstrated that road traffic noise exposure is associated with hypertension in Caucasian population, but the relationship in other population is unclear. This cross-sectional study investigated the association between road traffic noise exposure and the prevalence of hypertension in Taiwan. Methods: We recruited 820 volunteers (321 male and 499 female) resided near 4 main roads in Taichung City. We simultaneously measured traffic noise exposure by using a sound-level meter and calculated the traffic density during 0900–1700 on week days. The prevalence of self-reported hypertension was collected by a standard questionnaire. Multivariate logistic regressions were applied to estimate the risk of hypertension by adjusting potential confounders. Results: Each 1 vehicle/hour increase in the traffic density of motorcycles was significantly associated with the increasing mean level of 1.06 ± 1.09 A-weighted decibels (dBA) in the traffic noise exposure. The high-exposure group (82.2 ± 1.7 dBA, n = 358) had a significantly higher risk of hypertension (adjusted odds ratio = 2.15, 95% CI: 1.08–4.26) than the low-exposure group (77.2 ± 1.6 dBA, n = 462). For 8-hour road traffic noise, per 3-dBA increase in exposure was associated with an elevated risk of hypertension (adjusted odds ratio = 1.62, 95% CI: 1.11–2.36). The exposure-response relationship between the traffic noise exposure and the risk of hypertension was pronounced after adjusting for the traffic density. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that exposure to road traffic noise may be associated with hypertension. Related regulations should be considered to reduce the noise levels in Taiwan.