Home as a Place of Noise Control for the Elderly? A Cross-Sectional Study on Potential Mediating Effects and Associations between Road Traffic Noise Exposure, Access to a Quiet Side, Dwelling-Related Green and Noise Annoyance

Natalie Riedel, Heike Köckler, Joachim Scheiner, Irene Van Kamp, Raimund Erbel, Adrian Loerbroks, Thomas Claßen and Gabriele Bolte
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Natalie Riedel: Department of Social Epidemiology, Institute of Public Health and Nursing Research, University of Bremen, Grazer Straße 4, 28359 Bremen, Germany
Heike Köckler: Department of Community Health, Hochschule für Gesundheit (University of Applied Science), Gesundheitscampus 6–8, 44801 Bochum, Germany
Joachim Scheiner: Department of Transport Planning, Faculty of Spatial Planning, TU Dortmund University, August-Schmidt-Str. 10, 44221 Dortmund, Germany
Irene Van Kamp: Centre for Sustainability, Environment and Health, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Antonie van Leeuwenhoeklaan 9, 3721 MA Bilthoven, The Netherlands
Raimund Erbel: Institute of Medical Informatics, Biometry and Epidemiology, Essen University Hospital, Hufelandstr. 55, 45147 Essen, Germany
Adrian Loerbroks: Institute of Occupational, Social, and Environmental Medicine, Centre for Health and Society, Faculty of Medicine, University of Düsseldorf, Universitätsstraße 1, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
Thomas Claßen: Centre for Health NRW (North Rhine-Westphalia), Section “Health Assessments and Forecasting”, Gesundheitscampus 10, 44801 Bochum, Germany
Gabriele Bolte: Department of Social Epidemiology, Institute of Public Health and Nursing Research, University of Bremen, Grazer Straße 4, 28359 Bremen, Germany

IJERPH, 2018, vol. 15, issue 5, 1-22

Abstract: Urban residents’ need to be in control of their home environment can be constrained by perceived uncontrollability of exposure to road traffic noise. Noise annoyance may indicate a psychological stress reaction due to this uncontrollability perception, thereby undermining the restoration process. Environmental resources, such as having access to a quiet side at home and dwelling-related green, may reduce noise annoyance both directly by shielding acoustically and indirectly by enhancing residents’ perceived noise control. We assessed the potential mediating role of perceived noise control in independent and joint associations of road traffic noise exposure (>65 dB L den ) and of an absent dwelling-related environmental resource (three indicators concerning quiet sides and one indicator concerning dwelling-related green) with noise annoyance. In our cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study on elderly urban citizens ( N = 1812), we observed a statistically significant indirect effect of noise exposure on noise annoyance through perceived noise control (39%, 95%CI 26–55%). Statistical mediation between indicators of absent environmental resources and noise annoyance was weaker. The potential indirect effect was confirmed for combinations of noise exposure with each of the four indicators of an absent environmental resource. Our findings may call for mitigating noise levels while fostering quietness and green at residents’ homes.

Keywords: noise annoyance; perceived noise control; road traffic noise exposure; quiet side; dwelling-related green; mediation analysis; Heinz Nixdorf Recall Study (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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