THE EFFECTS OF URBAN NOISE ON PHYSICAL HEALTH AND INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS

The present study of 290 residents of a large middle-class apartment complex in New York City was done in order to further assess the extraauditory effects of urban noise, particularly urban traffic noise, on annoyance, physical and mental health, and interpersonal relationships. Both sections of the housing complex were as similar as possible, except that at the quiet locations urban traffic noise was not a dominant environmental factor, and a series of comprehensive 24 one-hour L(,eq) noise measurements, as well as spot-check (hourly) noise measurements, were made to establish this fact. Responses were provided anonymously with both husbands and wives being instructed to complete and return their questionnaires separately. Participants were further divided by sex into three age groups: young (20-30 years), middle-aged (31-50 years), and old (51-70+ years) so as to allow for the independent study of each age group as well as making comparisons between groups. A total of twelve hypotheses were tested using various statistical methods. Most of the problems related to urban noise in this study fell into the category of nuisance (i.e., general annoyance, psychological stress, task interruption and rest and sleep interference). However, results of this study also indicate that the physical and emotional health of urban residents is being compromised by constant exposure to high noise levels although urban noise appears to have a more restrictive range of negative effects on physical and emotional health than industrial noise