Noise Related Health Issues among Residents of High Traffic Flow Areas of Rawalpindi and Islamabad

Abstract

Objective: To determine noise related health issues prevailing in the residents of high traffic flow areas of Rawalpindi and Islamabad.
Study Design: Cross sectional study.
Place and Duration of Study: High traffic flow residential areas of Rawalpindi and Islamabad from 15 May to th 18 October, 2015.
Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out from 15 May to 18 October, 2015. A total of 352 respondents in the age group 25-65 years from high traffic flow residential areas of Rawalpindi and Islamabad were selected through non-probability convenience sampling technique. A structured closed ended questionnaire was administered and the collected data was analyzed through SPSS version 22.
Results: Among the various findings of our study, difficulty in sleeping was a significant problem (87%), irrespective of the age of respondents. The annoyance (69%), stress (63.4%), easy fatigability (61.4%) and poor digestion (60.5%) were also significant predicaments owing to excessive noise exposure. The residents complained that noise was interfering with their speech (58.2%) and reducing their productivity leading to difficulty in concentrating on a task (55.1%) and reduced task performance (52.3%).
Conclusion: The current study revealed that there are certain health issues attributed to noise, posing a major threat to the health of community and gradually worsening the burden of non-communicable diseases.