Background: Traffic noise has been associated with cardiovascular and metabolic disorders. Potential modes of action are through stress and sleep disturbance, which may lead to endocrine dysregulation and overweight.
Objectives: We aimed to investigate the relationship between residential traffic and railway noise and adiposity.
Methods: In this cross-sectional study of 57,053 middle-aged people, height, weight, waist circumference, and bioelectrical impedance were measured at enrollment (1993–1997). Body mass index (BMI), body fat mass index (BFMI), and lean body mass index (LBMI) were calculated. Residential exposure to road and railway traffic noise exposure was calculated using the Nordic prediction method. Associations between traffic noise and anthropometric measures at enrollment were analyzed using general linear models and logistic regression adjusted for demographic and lifestyle factors.
Results: Linear regression models adjusted for age, sex, and socioeconomic factors showed that 5-year mean road traffic noise exposure preceding enrollment was associated with a 0.35-cm wider waist circumference (95% CI: 0.21, 0.50) and a 0.18-point higher BMI (95% CI: 0.12, 0.23) per 10 dB. Small, significant increases were also found for BFMI and LBMI. All associations followed linear exposure–response relationships. Exposure to railway noise was not linearly associated with adiposity measures. However, exposure > 60 dB was associated with a 0.71-cm wider waist circumference (95% CI: 0.23, 1.19) and a 0.19-point higher BMI (95% CI: 0.0072, 0.37) compared with unexposed participants (0–20 dB).
Conclusions: The present study finds positive associations between residential exposure to road traffic and railway noise and adiposity.
1Diet, Genes and Environment, Danish Cancer Society Research Center, Copenhagen, Denmark; 2Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark; 3Department of Public Health, Section for Epidemiology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark; 4Department of Cardiology, Aalborg University Hospital, Aalborg, Denmark; 5Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research and Department of Public Health, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, Copenhagen, Denmark; 6Institute of Preventive Medicine, Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospitals, The Capital Region, Copenhagen, Denmark; 7MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, Bristol University, Bristol, United Kingdom
Recommended Citation:
Jeppe Schultz Christensen,1 Ole Raaschou-Nielsen,1,et al. Road Traffic and Railway Noise Exposures and Adiposity in Adults: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of the Danish Diet, Cancer, and Health Cohort[J]. Environmental Health Perspectives,2016-01-01,Volume 124(Issue 3):329