| dc.description.abstract | Environmental noise generated by transportation is recognized as an environmental problem, potentially impacting public health. This study aims to undertake a comprehensive literature review investigating relationships between environmental noise and health outcomes, specifically focusing on stroke and ischemic heart disease (IHD). Additionally, the study aims to determine whether differences exist between the environmental noise sources air, road and rail traffic and their association with stroke and IHD.
A literature review is conducted according to PRISMA guidelines. The literature is searched using Scopus and PubMed for the period between January 2018 and February 2024. A total of 486 publications are screened, resulting in 20 eligible studies analyzed between 2018 and 2024. The risk of bias is evaluated using a pre-defined list by the WHO.
The findings reveal compelling evidence linking long-term exposure to road traffic noise with heightened risks of stroke and IHD, with 16 studies mentioning stroke and 12 studies including results on IHD. Recent studies examining the association between aircraft, road, and rail traffic noise with stroke and IHD present mixed results. While road traffic noise consistently shows significant positive associations with stroke and IHD, aircraft and rail traffic noise studies did not include consistent findings. Heterogeneity among results exists because both associations and no associations are identified for the three environmental noise sources on stroke and IHD.
Comparisons with a previous review by the World Health Organization (WHO). Both reviews present similarities and differences in findings. While road traffic noise consistently emerges as a significant risk factor for stroke and IHD, aircraft noise's impact remains less conclusive. In addition, the relationship with stroke has been recently explored more extensively in recent years. But there's a need for more research on the effects of rail traffic noise.
The present review highlights the necessity for further research to address research gaps in understanding the heterogeneous results. While limitations in study design and quality assessment exist, the evidence underscores the importance of mitigating environmental noise to protect public health. Moreover, new future meta-analyses could improve the validity and generalizability of new results. awareness about the consequences of environmental noise could start public health interventions to mitigate the adverse effects of environmental noise pollution. | |
