Long-Term Exposure to Road Traffic Noise and Incident Diabetes: A Cohort Study

Ehp.niehs.nih.gov: December 10, 2012

Background: Road traffic noise at normal urban levels can lead to stress and sleep disturbances. Both excess of stress hormones and reduction in sleep quality and duration may lead to higher risk for type 2 diabetes.

Objective: To investigate whether long-term exposure to residential road traffic noise is associated with an increased risk of diabetes.

Methods: In the population-based Diet, Cancer and Health cohort of 57,053 people aged 50 to 64 years at enrollment in 1993-1997, we identified 3,869 cases of incident diabetes in a national diabetes registry between enrollment and 2006. The mean follow-up time was 9.6 years. Present and historical residential addresses from 1988 to 2006 were identified using a national register and exposure to road traffic noise was estimated for all addresses. Associations between exposure to road traffic noise and incident diabetes were analyzed in a Cox regression model. Read More