Abstract
Background: Environmental noise exposure is increasing but limited research has been done on the association with emotional, aggressive, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)-related symptoms in children. Objective: To analyze the association between prenatal and childhood environmental noise exposure and emotional, aggressive, and ADHD-related symptoms in children from two European birth cohorts. Methods: We included 534 children from the Spanish INMA-Sabadell Project and 7424 from the Dutch Generation R Study. Average 24 h noise exposure at the participants’ home address during pregnancy and childhood periods were estimated using EU maps from road traffic noise and total noise (road, aircraft, railway, and industry). Symptom outcomes were assessed using validated questionnaires: Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, Child Behavioral Checklist, ADHD Criteria of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-Fourth Edition List, and Conner's Parent Rating Scale-Revised at 4, 7 and 9 years (INMA-Sabadell cohort) and 18 months, 3, 5, and 9 years (Generation R Study). Adjusted linear mixed models of prenatal and repeated childhood noise exposure with repeated symptom outcomes were run separately by cohort and overall estimates were combined with random-effects meta-analysis. Results: Average prenatal and childhood road traffic noise exposure levels were 61.3 (SD 6.1) and 61.7 (SD 5.8) for INMA-Sabadell and 54.6 (SD 7.9) and 51.6 (SD 7.1) for Generation R, respectively. Prenatal and childhood road traffic noise exposure were not associated with emotional, aggressive, or ADHD-related symptoms. No heterogeneity was observed between cohorts and results were comparable for total noise exposure. Conclusions: No association was observed between prenatal or childhood road traffic or total noise exposure and symptom outcomes in children. Future studies should include a more comprehensive noise exposure assessment considering noise sensitivity and noise exposure at different settings such as work for pregnant women and school for children.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 106946 |
| Journal | Environment international |
| Volume | 158 |
| Early online date | 27 Oct 2021 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Jan 2022 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:The Generation R Study is conducted by the Erasmus Medical Center in close collaboration with the School of Law and Faculty of Social Sciences of the Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Municipal Health Service Rotterdam area, Rotterdam, the Rotterdam Homecare Foundation, Rotterdam and the Stichting Trombosedienst & Artsenlaboratorium Rijnmond (STAR-MDC), Rotterdam. We gratefully acknowledge the contribution of children and parents, general practitioners, hospitals, midwives, and pharmacies in Rotterdam. The general design of Generation R Study is made possible by financial support from the Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Netherlands Organization for Health Research and Development (ZonMw), the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO), and the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport. The work of Henning Tiemeier was supported by the NWO (NWO‐grant 016 VICI.170.200). The geocodification of the addresses of the study participants was done within the framework of a project funded by the Health Effects Institute (HEI) (Assistance Award No. R-82811201). Mònica Guxens received funding from the Spanish Institute of Health Carlos III (CPII18/00018, PI17/01340). We thank DCMR Milieudienst Rijnmond for providing the noise data. We acknowledge support from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation and State Research Agency through the “Centro de Excelencia Severo Ochoa 2019–2023” Program (CEX2018-000806-S), and support from the Generalitat de Catalunya through the CERCA Program”.
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