Nocturnal Road Traffic Noise Exposure and Children’s Sleep Duration and Sleep Problems

Kjell Vegard Weyde, Norun Hjertager Krog, Bente Oftedal, Jorunn Evandt, Per Magnus, Simon Øverland, Charlotte Clark, Stephen Stansfeld and Gunn Marit Aasvang
Additional contact information
Kjell Vegard Weyde: Department of Air Pollution and Noise, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Pb 4404 Nydalen, 0403 Oslo, Norway
Norun Hjertager Krog: Department of Air Pollution and Noise, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Pb 4404 Nydalen, 0403 Oslo, Norway
Bente Oftedal: Department of Air Pollution and Noise, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Pb 4404 Nydalen, 0403 Oslo, Norway
Jorunn Evandt: Department of Air Pollution and Noise, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Pb 4404 Nydalen, 0403 Oslo, Norway
Per Magnus: Domain of Health Data and Digitalization, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Pb 4404 Nydalen, 0403 Oslo, Norway
Simon Øverland: Division of Mental Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Zander Kaaes gate 7, 5015 Bergen, Norway
Charlotte Clark: Centre for Psychiatry, Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine, Barts and the London School of Medicine, Queen Mary University of London, Charterhouse Square, London EC1M 6BQ, UK
Stephen Stansfeld: Centre for Psychiatry, Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine, Barts and the London School of Medicine, Queen Mary University of London, Charterhouse Square, London EC1M 6BQ, UK
Gunn Marit Aasvang: Department of Air Pollution and Noise, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Pb 4404 Nydalen, 0403 Oslo, Norway

IJERPH, 2017, vol. 14, issue 5, 1-13

Abstract: Almost half of the European Union (EU)’s population is exposed to road traffic noise above levels that constitute a health risk. Associations between road traffic noise and impaired sleep in adults have consistently been reported. Less is known about effects of noise on children’s sleep. The aim of this study was to examine the association between nocturnal road traffic noise exposure and children’s parental-reported sleep duration and sleep problems. The present cross-sectional study used data from The Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study. Parental report of children’s sleep duration and sleep problems at age 7 was linked to modelled levels of residential night-time road traffic noise. The study population included 2665 children from Oslo, Norway. No association was found between road traffic noise and sleep duration in the total study population (odds ratio (OR): 1.05, 95% confidence interval (CI): [0.94, 1.17]), but a statistically significant association was observed in girls (OR: 1.21, 95% CI: [1.04, 1.41]). For sleep problems, the associations were similar (OR: 1.36, 95% CI: [0.85, 2.16]) in girls. The ORs are presented for an increase of 10 dB. The findings suggest there is an association between road traffic noise and sleep for girls, underlining the importance of protecting children against excessive noise levels.

Keywords: road traffic noise; children; sleep duration; sleep problems; socioeconomic status (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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