The Social Gradient of Urban Noise Pollution and Its Effect on Pediatric and Adult Health

Summary

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Noise pollution - sound created by human activities considered harmful to health - represents an oft- cited public concern, yet has taken a back seat to other environmental hazards. A limited number of observational studies demonstrate that chronic environmental noise exposure is associated with poo...

Noise pollution - sound created by human activities considered harmful to health - represents an oft- cited public concern, yet has taken a back seat to other environmental hazards. A limited number of observational studies demonstrate that chronic environmental noise exposure is associated with poor outcomes in adults and children, including cardiovascular disease, poor mental health, impaired sleep, and reduced cognitive performance in children. Further investigation and direct measurement at a community-level is needed to not only better understand the spatial-temporal distribution of aggregated environmental noise exposure and its impact on health, but also to lay the groundwork to develop and evaluate needed noise-reducing interventions. The broad objective of this pilot proposal is to examine the social gradient of noise at a micro-spatial level in Philadelphia and evaluate its impact on the health of pediatric and adult local residents. Our multi-disciplinary team uniquely combines emerging digital and remote-sensing technologies, and expertise in place- based interventions to achieve the following specific aims: (AIM 1) Document the spatial-temporal distribution of environmental noise exposure across 24 Philadelphia neighborhoods with low, medium, and high socioeconomic status (SES), and (AIM 2) Explore the feasibility of evaluating the relationship between noise exposure and biometric health data - including sleep quality, cardiovascular metrics, and neurobehavioral profiles in pediatric and adult participants.

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