Stephen Stansfeld, Prof. | Queen Mary University of London | United Kingdom
This talk presents a review of noise sensitivity and health as well as new longitudinal analyses of road traffic noise, noise sensitivity and cardiovascular and mental health outcomes. Self-reported noise sensitivity is a moderator of the association of environmental noise and annoyance. There is less certainty over whether it also moderates the effects of environmental noise on health outcomes. It has been suggested that noise sensitivity may be an indicator of vulnerability to environmental stressors in general but the biological basis of this remains undetermined. However, there is evidence for heritability of noise sensitivity from twin studies. Analysis of follow up data from men in the Caerphilly Collaborative Heart Disease study demonstrates that high noise sensitivity has a protective effect on mortality risk and does moderate the effect of traffic noise exposure on psychological distress. High noise sensitivity is linked to trait anxiety but it is not clear whether they are the same construct. Understanding vulnerability to environmental stressors is important for developing resilience and preventing disease in the future.