Investigation of the Physiological and Mental Performance of Students in Exposure to Traffic Noise Pollution in Sari

Abstract

Background and purpose: Noise pollution, as an unwanted and annoying sound that can negatively impact human health and well-being, has become one of the major environmental problems in the world. This type of pollution not only disrupts peace and comfort but can also have serious consequences for human physical and mental health. Despite the importance of the issue of exposure to harmful physical factors and their impact on health, few studies have been conducted on traffic noise based on the conditions in Iranian cities. Considering the importance of urban traffic noise, the lack of domestic studies on its characteristics and how it affects the cognitive and physiological performance of exposed individuals, and its importance and decisive role in the occurrence of errors and mental functions, this research aimed to investigate the physiological and mental performance in exposure to traffic noise pollution in Sari city. Materials and methods: This quasi-experimental intervention study was conducted in the summer of 1401 (2023) on 40 students of Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences. To minimize confounding factors, the inclusion criteria were as follows: age range of 20-30 years, normal hearing (hearing loss less than 25 dB), and no history of taking specific medications. All experiments were conducted in an acoustic chamber measuring 3 by 2 meters with a temperature of 23°C, humidity of 50%, and illuminance of 400 lux. Physiological parameters (heart rate, blood pressure, and core body temperature) were measured in acoustic comfort and traffic noise exposure conditions. Cognitive performance was assessed using the Continuous Performance Test (CPT) in exposure and non-exposure conditions. The structural correlation of this test was estimated by the researchers to be 0.89. Data analysis was performed using descriptive and analytical tests in SPSS v24. Results: According to the findings, 52% of the students studied were female. The mean age of the participants was 24.23 years with a standard deviation of 4.99 years, a minimum of 19 years, and a maximum of 38 years. 76.3% of the participants were single and 23.7% were married. Based on the exposure results, the average sound pressure level of traffic noise in the exposure group was reported as 75.45±0.11 dBA. It was observed that the heart rate and core temperature of the exposure group increased significantly (P<0.05). The average error (omission and commission) between the control and exposure groups had a significant difference and the average of these variables was lower in the control group. Also, the reaction time in the exposed condition had a significant difference with the non-exposed condition (P<0.05). Conclusion: With the rapid growth of urbanization and the increasing density of traffic on roads and streets, noise pollution from traffic has become an unavoidable problem in modern societies, inevitably impacting human health and safety. because of the importance of traffic noise and the inevitable encounter with it, can be considered very important in terms of health aspects and occurrence of safety consequences. Therefore, paying attention to traffic noise exposure, human performance status, and influencing factors through investigations and research is necessary.

Keywords

• noise pollution
• traffic noise
• physiological performance
• cpt test
• mental performance