Self-report of transportation noise exposure, annoyance and noise sensitivity in relation to noise map information

Self-report of noise exposure was compared with the information on noise ma ps while taking into account measures of self-reported annoyance and noise sensitivity. Self-report data were analyzed for 1495 subjects participating in a case-control study of hypertension from the Finnish Twin Cohort who h ad replied to a questionnaire in 1988. In addition, noise map information w as included in analyses of the 218 study subjects living in the Metropolita n Area of Helsinki. The results show that: (1) In the factor analysis based on all subjects self-report of transportation noise exposure formed an own factor independent of the annoyance variables or noise sensitivity. Annoya nce items loaded on to two different factors termed nighttime and daytime a nnoyance. Noise sensitivity did not load to either of the factors of annoya nce. For the subsample with noise map information, the results indicated th at: (2) Noise sensitivity was independent of noise map information. (3) Sub jects with high noise sensitivity reported more transportation noise exposu re than subjects with low noise sensitivity and they reported aircraft, rai lway and road traffic noise exposure outside the environmental noise map ar eas almost twice as often as non-sensitive subjects. (4) Noise map informat ion and self-report of noise exposure were consistently associated when air craft noise was considered. Self-report of noise related items may suppleme nt noise map information in noise protection. (C) 2000 Academic Press.