School of Public Health, LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China; School of Nursing, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
Healthy High Density Cities Lab, HKUrbanLab, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China; Urban Systems Institute, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
Environ Pollut. 2023 Dec 1;338:122641. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.122641. Epub 2023 Oct 7.
Prior studies on the association between traffic noise and mental health have been mostly conducted in settings with lower population densities. However, evidence is lacking in high population-density settings where traffic noise is more pervasive and varies by topography and the vertical elevation of the residential unit. This study aimed to assess the mental health impact of residential traffic noise in one of the world's most urbanised populations. Data were analysed from 13,401 participants aged ≥15 years in a prospective cohort in Hong Kong from 2009 to 2014. Residential traffic noise level was estimated using 3D-geocoding and validated models that accounted for sound propagation in a highly vertical landscape. The 24-h day-night exposure to traffic noise, denoted as L, was estimated with a 10-dB(A) penalty for night hours. Probable depression and mental wellbeing were assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and the Short Form Health Questionnaire SF-12v2, respectively. Mixed effect regressions with random intercepts were used to examine the association between traffic noise and mental health outcomes. Residential road traffic noise (for each increment of 10 A-weighted decibels [dB(A)] 24-h average exposure) was associated with probable depression (odds ratio (OR) = 1.17, 95% CI: 1.05, 1.31), and poorer mental wellbeing (mean difference = -0.19, 95% CI: 0.31, -0.06), adjusting for sociodemographics, smoking, body mass index, self-reported health, proximity to green space, and neighbourhood characteristics (average household income, population density, and Gini coefficient). The results were robust to further adjustment for air pollution. In stratified analyses, residential traffic noise was associated with probable depression and poorer mental wellbeing among students and individuals aged 15-34 years. Residential traffic noise was associated with probable depression and poorer mental wellbeing in a highly urbanised setting. As traffic noise is increasing in urban settings, the public health impact of noise pollution could be substantial.
先前关于交通噪声与心理健康之间关联的研究大多是在人口密度较低的环境中进行的。然而，在人口密度较高的环境中，证据仍然缺乏，因为那里的交通噪声更为普遍，并且受到地形和住宅单元垂直高度的影响。本研究旨在评估香港这个世界上人口最稠密的地区之一的居民交通噪声对心理健康的影响。数据来自 2009 年至 2014 年期间在香港进行的一项前瞻性队列研究中的 13401 名年龄在 15 岁及以上的参与者。使用 3D 地理编码和验证模型来估计居民交通噪声水平，这些模型考虑了在高度垂直景观中声音的传播。24 小时昼夜交通噪声暴露量（用 L 表示），以夜间 10dB(A) 的惩罚来表示。使用患者健康问卷-9（PHQ-9）和简短形式健康问卷 SF-12v2 分别评估可能的抑郁和心理健康状况。使用具有随机截距的混合效应回归来检验交通噪声与心理健康结果之间的关系。居民道路交通噪声（每增加 10 分贝[A]加权的 24 小时平均暴露量）与可能的抑郁（优势比[OR]为 1.17，95%置信区间[CI]：1.05，1.31）和较差的心理健康（平均差异为-0.19，95%CI：0.31，-0.06）相关，同时还调整了社会人口统计学、吸烟、体重指数、自我报告的健康状况、与绿地的距离以及邻里特征（平均家庭收入、人口密度和基尼系数）。在进一步调整空气污染因素后，结果仍然稳健。在分层分析中，居民交通噪声与学生和 15-34 岁人群中的可能抑郁和较差的心理健康相关。在高度城市化的环境中，居民交通噪声与可能的抑郁和较差的心理健康有关。由于城市环境中的交通噪声不断增加，噪声污染对公共健康的影响可能会很大。
