Search

12th ICBEN Congress on Noise as a Public Health Problem, ZURICH, SUISSE, 18-/06/2017 - 22/06/2017; Objectives: Exposure to aircraft noise has been shown to have adverse effects on health and particularly on sleep. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between aircraft noise exposure and subjective sleep quality in the population living near airports in France. Methods: Sleep interview was made through a questionnaire administered to 1,244 residents of three major French airports: Paris-CDG, Lyon-Saint-Exupéry and Toulouse-Blagnac. For each participant, aircraft noise exposure was estimated at home using noise maps. Logisticregression models were used with adjustment for potential confounders. Results: Aircraft noise exposure was associated with the risk of being a short sleeper (sleep duration £ 6h), and with the feeling of tiredness while awakening in the morning. An increase of 10 dBA in aircraft noise level at night was respectively associated with an OR of 1.66 (95% CI: 1.16 to 2.35) and an OR of 1.24 (95% CI: 1.00 to 1.63). Conclusion: These findings contribute to the overall evidence suggesting that aircraft noise exposure at nighttime may decrease subjective quality of sleep.

Background: Exposure to aircraft noise has been shown to have adverse effects on health, particularly on sleep. Exposure to nighttime aircraft noise clearly affects sleep architecture, as well as subjective sleep quality. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between aircraft noise exposure and subjective sleep quality in the population living near airports in France. Methods: A total of 1,244 individuals older than 18 and living near three French airports (Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Lyon-Saint-Exupery and Toulouse-Blagnac) were randomly selected to participate in the study. Information on sleep as well as health, socioeconomic and lifestyle factors was collected by means of a face-to-face questionnaire performed at their place of residence by an interviewer. For each participant, aircraft noise exposure was estimated at home using noise maps. Logistic regression models were used with adjustment for potential confounders. Results: Aircraft noise exposure was significantly associated with a short total sleep time (TST) (£ 6 h) and with the feeling of tiredness while awakening in the morning. An increase of 10 dB(A) in aircraft noise level at night was associated with an OR of 1.63 (95%CI: 1.15-2.32) for a short TST and an OR of 1.23 (95%CI: 1.00-1.54) for the feeling of tiredness while awakening in the morning. Conclusions: These findings contribute to the overall evidence suggesting that aircraft noise exposure at nighttime may decrease the subjective amount and quality of sleep.

Background: The effects of aircraft noise on psychological ill-health have not been largely investigated and remain to be discussed. No study has been performed in France on the health effects of aircraft noise. Objectives: The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between aircraft noise in dB and in terms of annoyance and psychological ill-health in populations living near airports in France. Methods: A total of 1244 individuals older than 18 and living near three French airports (Paris&ndash, Charles de Gaulle, Lyon&ndash, Saint-Exup&eacute, ry and Toulouse&ndash, Blagnac) were randomly selected to participate in the study. Information about their personal medical history and socioeconomic and lifestyle factors was collected by means of a face-to-face questionnaire performed at their place of residence by an interviewer. Psychological ill-health was evaluated with the 12-item version of the General Heath Questionnaire (GHQ-12). For each participant, outdoor aircraft noise exposure in dB was estimated by linking their home address to noise maps. Objective noise exposure in dB was considered to be the primary exposure of interest. Four noise indicators referring to three different periods of the day were derived and used for the statistical analyses: Lden, LAeq,24hr, LAeq,6hr&ndash, 22hr, and Lnight. Noise annoyance and noise sensitivity were the secondary risk factors of interest. Logistic regression models were used with adjustment for potential confounders. Results: The participation rate in the study was 30%. Approximately 22% of the participants were considered to have psychological ill-health according to the GHQ-12. No direct association was found between exposure to aircraft noise in dB and psychological ill-health. However, annoyance due to aircraft noise and noise sensitivity were both significantly associated with psychological ill-health. Moreover, a gradient was evidenced between annoyance and psychological ill-health, with increasing ORs from 1.79 (95% CI 1.06&ndash, 3.03) for people who were not all annoyed to 4.00 (95% CI 1.67&ndash, 9.55) for extremely annoyed people.Conclusions: These findings confirm the results of previous studies, suggesting there is no direct association between aircraft noise exposure in dB and psychological ill-health, but there is a significant relationship between noise sensitivity or annoyance due to aircraft noise and psychological ill-health. This supports the hypothesis that psychological aspects, such as noise annoyance and noise sensitivity, play important roles in the association between environmental noise and adverse effects on health. However, further studies are necessary in order to better understand the links between these variables.

EUROEPI 2018, European Congress of Epidemiology , Lyon, FRANCE, 04-/07/2018 - 06/07/2018; Background : Many studies have evidenced adverse effects of exposure to aircraft noise on health, such as annoyance, sleep disturbance, cardiovascular diseases or altered cognitive performance. Mental health has been less investigated. In France, about 18% of the population suffer from mental disorders. The effects of noise annoyance on psychological distress have rarely been evaluated, and no study exists in France. We investigated associations between annoyance due to aircraft noise and psychological distress for people living near airports in France. Methods : The DEBATS longitudinal study included 1,244 residents around three French airports: Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle, Toulouse-Blagnac, and Lyon-Saint-Exupéry. Information about psychological distress was assessed by a face-to-face questionnaire, including a single question about the feeling of depression, and the 12-version of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). Annoyance due to aircraft noise was assessed with the following question 'Thinking about the last 12 months, when you are at home, how much does aircraft noise annoy you?' The five-point verbal scale proposed by the International Commission on the Biological Effects of Noise was used: extremely, very, moderately, slightly or not at all. Associations with psychological distress were investigated using logistic regressions including relevant confounders such as gender, age, country of birth, occupational activity, marital status, alcohol consumption, smoking, sleep duration, number of stressful life events, education, income, and antidepressant use. Results : About 13% of the participants reported depression and 22% were considered to have psychological distress according to the GHQ-12. Significant associations were found between annoyance due to aircraft noise and the feeling of depression, and between annoyance due to aircraft noise and psychological distress evaluated with the GHQ-12. The Odds Ratio (OR) for the feeling of depression ranged from 0.89 (95% CI 0.50-1.59) to 2.61 (95% CI 1.09-6.23). The OR for the GHQ-12 ranged from 1.49 (95% CI 0.94-2.39) to 3.64 (95% CI 1.70-7.78). For the both outcomes, OR reached the maximum estimate for people reporting to be extremely annoyed compared to those who are not at all annoyed. Discussion : The present study found significant associations between annoyance due to aircraft noise and psychological distress assessed both with a single question about the feeling of depression and with the GHQ-12, with gradual ORs according to the different categories of noise annoyance. This result is in line with the findings of a cross-sectional study performed in Minneapolis. However the direction of the association can be questioned. Extremely annoyed people might be more at risk to have psychological disorders, and it is also possible that people with psychological disorders might be more at risk to be annoyed.

Objectives The largest study until now around 6 major European airports, the HYENA (HYpertension and Exposure to Noise near Airports) study, reported an excess risk of hypertension related to long-term aircraft noise exposure. The DEBATS (Discussion on the health effects of aircraft noise) study investigated the relationship between this exposure and the risk of hypertension in men and in women near French airports. Methods Blood pressure of 1244 participants older than 18 years of age was measured. Information about health, socioeconomic and lifestyle factors was collected by means of a face-to-face questionnaire performed at home by an interviewer. Aircraft noise exposure was assessed for each participant9s home address using noise maps. They were calculated with the Integrated Noise Model with a 1 dB(A)-resolution. The major potential confounders being risk factors for hypertension were included in the logistic regression models: age, occupational activity, body mass index, physical activity and alcohol consumption. Results After adjustment for the main potential confounders, an exposure–response relationship was evidenced between the risk of hypertension and aircraft noise exposure at night for men only. A 10-dB(A) increase in L night was associated with an OR of 1.34 (95% CI 1.00 to 1.97). Conclusions These findings contribute to the overall evidence suggesting that aircraft noise exposure at night-time may increase the risk of hypertension in men. Hypertension is a well-known and established risk factor for cardiovascular disease. The association reported in the present study between aircraft noise and hypertension implies that aircraft noise might be a risk factor also for cardiovascular disease.

12th ICBEN Congress on Noise as a Public Health Problem, ZURICH, SUISSE, 18-/06/2017 - 22/06/2017; The impact of exposure to aircraft noise on health is of growing concern because of a steady rise in flights. While many studies address the annoyance associated with aircraft noise, very few studies consider the health status perceived by the population itself. We investigated associations between aircraft noise exposure and perceived health for people living near airports in France. The DEBATS longitudinal study included 1,244 residents around three French airports: Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle, Toulouse-Blagnac, and Lyon-Saint-Exupéry. Information about perceived health was assessed by a face-to-face questionnaire. Aircraft noise exposure was evaluated for each participant's home address. Associations with perceived health were investigated using logistic regressions including relevant confounders.No association was found between aircraft noise exposure and perceived health. After stratification on gender, significant associations were observed for men: OR=1.55 (95%CI=1.02-2.35) per 10-dB(A) Lnight-increase. The associations observed in this study could be due to residual confounding or to declaration bias which cannot be excluded. Further studies are necessary in order to better understand these associations.

Background Noise in the vicinity of airports is a public health problem. Many laboratory studies have shown that heart rate is altered during sleep after exposure to road or railway noise. Fewer studies have looked at the effects of exposure to aircraft noise on heart rate during sleep in populations living near airports. Objective The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the sound pressure level (SPL) of aircraft noise and heart rate during sleep in populations living near airports in France. Methods In total, 92 people living near the Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Toulouse-Blagnac airports participated in this study. Heart rate was recorded every 15 s during one night, using an Actiheart monitor, with simultaneous measurements of SPL of aircraft noise inside the participants&rsquo, bedrooms. Energy and event-related indicators were then estimated. Mixed linear regression models were applied, taking into account potential confounding factors, to investigate the relationship between energy indicators and heart rate during sleep measured every 15 s. Event-related analyses were also carried out in order to study the effects of an acoustic event associated with aircraft noise on heart rate during sleep. Results The more the SPL from all sources (LAeq,15s) and the SPL exceeded for 90% of the measurement period (LA90,15s) increased, the more heart rate also increased. No significant associations were observed between the maximum 1-s equivalent SPL associated with aircraft overflight (LAmax,1s) and differences between the heart rate recorded during or 15 or 30 s after an aircraft noise event and that recorded before the event. On the other hand, a positive and significant association was found between LAmax,1s and the heart rate amplitude calculated during an aircraft noise event. Results were unchanged when analyses were limited to participants who had lived more than five years in their present dwelling. Conclusion Our study shows that exposure to the maximum SPL linked to aircraft overflight affect the heart rate during sleep of residents near airports. However, further studies on a larger number of participants over several nights are needed to confirm these results.

While many surveys carried out both in France and abroad address aircraft noise annoyance or report adverse effects on sleep quality, much fewer consider at the same time the physiological effects of this noise exposure. The largest study to date, the HYENA study, has evidenced an association between aircraft noise exposure and hypertension. DEBATS is a research program (2011-2018) aiming to characterize the relations between aircraft noise exposure and the health status of the French population living in the vicinity of airports.

Objective.To compare health status, effect on family, occupational consequences, and quality of life (QOL) 1 year after an accident between patients with whiplash versus other mild injuries, and to explore the relationship between initial injury (whiplash vs other) and QOL.Methods.This was a prospective cohort study. The study used data from the ESPARR cohort (a representative cohort of road accident victims) and included 173 individuals with “pure” whiplash and 207 with other mild injuries. QOL at 1-year followup was assessed on the World Health Organization Quality of Life questionnaire. Correlations between explanatory variables and QOL were explored by Poisson regression to provide adjusted relative risks, with ANOVA for the various QOL scores explored.Results.One year post-accident, more patients who had whiplash than other casualties complained of nonrecovery of health status (56% vs 43%) and of the occupational effect of pain (31% vs 23%). QOL and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were similar in the 2 groups. Impaired QOL did not correlate with whiplash when models were adjusted on sociodemographic variables and history of psychological distress. Whatever the initial lesion, PTSD was a determining factor for poorer QOL.Conclusion.Sociodemographic factors, preaccident psychological history prior to the accident, and PTSD were the main factors influencing QOL, rather than whether the injury was whiplash. PTSD may also be related to pain.

In Côte d'Ivoire alcohol and drugs consumption in the general population is a serious issue. However, their role in Road Traffic Accidents (RTAs) has never been investigated. Our study aimed to estimate the prevalence of alcohol-impaired road users at the time of the RTA and report psychoactive drug use, in various categories of casualties, and in various circumstances of the crash. We conducted a cross-sectional study including 893 casualties involved in fatal or non-fatal RTAs and admitted at the Emergency Room or the Forensic Institute from March to September 2012. Blood alcohol dosage (BAC) and urine drug screening were carried out, and results were linked with hospital and police crash report data. The mean BAC in positive cases indicated heavy drinking before the crash: drivers (1.9 g/L), pedestrians (2.1 g/L), passengers (1.5 g/L). The prevalence of alcohol-impairment was significantly higher in drivers (41%) and riders (27%) compared to pedestrians (17%) and passengers (13%). Over 75% of casualties that tested positive for alcohol had a BAC largely above the legal limit. Psychoactive drug use was twice more prevalent in alcohol-impaired drivers than in sober drivers (20% vs 10%). Binge drinking is an emerging issue in African countries, which should be taken into account in the management or prevention of road traffic injuries.

DEBATS is an on-going research program (2011-2018) involving adult residents around three French airports: Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Toulouse-Blagnac, and Lyon Saint-Exupéry. It aims to characterize the relations between aircraft noise exposure and health status of the French population living in the vicinity of airports, both physically and mentally but also in terms of annoyance. In particular, it includes a longitudinal field study whose objective is to follow-up approximately 1,200 of the above-mentioned airports residents during four years. At inclusion and two and four years later, annoyance and health status (in terms of sleep disturbances, cardiovascular diseases and anxiety and depressive disorders) are assessed by a questionnaire asked by an interviewer at the place of residence of participants. Physiological variables like blood-pressure, heart rate or salivary cortisol are also considered within the frame of this study. A pilot study was performed in 2011 in order to test and validate the protocol on 100 residents around Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport. The results of this pilot study will be presented and discussed. They will concern self-reported doctor-diagnosed hypertension and cardiovascular diseases, and measured blood-pressure, heart rate and salivary cortisol.

Background. Previous case-control studies on bicycle helmet efficacy are mostly Anglo-Saxon, and based on data from the early 1990’s when hard-shell helmets were common. Methods. In France, the Rhône county (1.6 million inhabitants) is covered by a road trauma registry that includes ED visits, inpatients and fatalities. Over the 1998-2008 period, 13,797 cyclist casualties were identified (outpatients, inpatients and deceased). The injuries sustained were coded using the Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) for injuries to the head (AIS1+ and AIS3+), face (AIS 1+) or neck (AIS1+). The study uses a case-control design where the control group includes cyclists injured below the neck, i.e. not injured in the region associated with the helmet. We adjusted for age, gender and crash severity. Results. The adjusted odds ratios of helmeted vs. unhelmeted cyclists are: for AIS1+ head injuries 0.69, 95% CI=[0.59-0.81], i.e. reduction of risk by 31%; for AIS3+ head injuries, 0.30, 95% CI=[0.16-0.50] i.e. reduction of risk by 70%; for AIS1+ facial injuries, 0.72, 95% CI=[ 0.62-0.83], i.e. reduction of risk by 28%; and for AIS1+ neck injuries, 1.18, 95% CI=[0.94-1.47], non significant. Conclusion. This study confirms the protective effect for head and facial injuries, even though soft-shell helmets have now become more common. The reduction of risk is greater for serious head injuries. The study is inconclusive about the risk of neck injuries.

RIVM Workshop NATO Airbase, UTRECHT, PAYS-BAS, 10-/10/2013 - 11/10/2013; A national survey carried out in 2005 shows that 6.6% of the French population are annoyed by aircraft noise. DEBATS aims to characterize the relations between aircraft noise exposure and health status of residents around airports. It is an on-going epidemiological research program including: An ecological study based on drug prescriptions, and on nonprescription drug sales, A longitudinal field study consisting in following-up approximately 1,200 of the Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Toulouse-Blagnac, and Lyon Saint-Exupéry airports residents during four years. Annoyance and health status are assessed by questionnaires. Physiological variables like blood-pressure or salivary cortisol are also considered within the frame of this study. A complementary study aiming to characterize specifically acute effects of aircraft noise on sleep quality using precise noise exposure measurements. Sleep quality of a sub-sample of 100 individuals will be evaluated using a wrist actimeter. Simultaneously, a sonometer located in their bedroom will record their noise exposure. A second sonometer set up outside (at the bedroom façade) will allow us to identify the aircraft noises and to investigate a link with sleep quality.