Noise Disturbance and Well-Being in the North of Spain

Maite Santurtún, María José García Tárrago, Pablo Fdez-Arroyabe () and María T. Zarrabeitia
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Maite Santurtún: Centro Hospitalario Padre Menni, 39012 Santander, Spain
María José García Tárrago: Department of Electromechanical Engineering, University of Burgos, 09001 Burgos, Spain
Pablo Fdez-Arroyabe: Department of Geography, Urban Planning and Territorial Planning, University of Cantabria, 39005 Santander, Spain
María T. Zarrabeitia: Unit of Legal Medicine, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Cantabria—IDIVAL, 39005 Santander, Spain

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 24, 1-10

Abstract: Environmental noise is considered one of the main risks for physical and mental health and well-being, with a significant associated burden of disease in Europe. This work aims to explore the main sources of noise exposure at home and its effect on well-being in northern Spain. A transversal opinion study has been performed through a closed questionnaire. The questionnaire included three different parts: sociodemographic data, noise disturbance, and the 5-item World Health Organization Well-Being Index (WHO-5). A Binary Logistics Regression model was performed to analyze the relationship between noise exposure and well-being. Overall, 16.6% of the participants consider that the noise isolation of their homes is bad or very bad. The noise generated by the neighbors (air and impact noise) is considered the most disturbing indoor noise source, while street works are the most disturbing outdoor noise source in urban areas and road traffic is the most disturbing in rural areas. People who indicate that noise interferes with their life at home have a worse score on the WHO-5 (decreased perception of well-being). The exposure to outdoor noise (specifically the noise coming from the street and trains), internal impact noise produced by neighbors, and in general, the noise that wakes you up, is related to receiving a worse score in the WHO-5 ( p < 0.05). Administrative bodies must ensure that laws regulating at-home noise levels, which are continually being updated with stricter restrictions, are enforced.

Keywords: noise; well-being; Spain; traffic noise (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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