Comparison of sensitivity and annoyance to road traffic and community noise between a South African and a Swiss population sample.

In developing countries, noise annoyance and noise sensitivity are not commonly investigated. The present study aimed to assess the annoyance and sensitivity to noise in 364 adults living in informal settings in the Western Cape Province, South Africa and to compare with a similar study conducted in Switzerland. Compared to Switzerland, higher percentages of highly noise sensitive individuals (women: 35.1% vs 26.9%; men: 25% vs 20.5%) and people highly annoyed to road traffic noise (women: 20.5% vs 12.4%; men: 17.9% vs 11.1%) were observed in South Africa. While in South Africa women were more annoyed to neighborhood noise than in Switzerland (21.1% vs 9.4%), this was not the case among men (7.1% vs 7.8%). Multivariable logistic regression models showed that in both countries men tended to be less sensitive and less annoyed by noise. Corresponding associations with age and education were somewhat different between the countries, which may be explained by socioeconomic and environmental differences. This study indicates that noise exposure considerably affects people living in informal settlements, and noise should be considered when improving the housing conditions.