Population-based questionnaire survey on health effects of aircraft noise on residents living around US airfields in the Ryukyus - Part 1: An analysis of 12 scale scores

A questionnaire survey was made of health effects of aircraft noise on residents living around Kadena and Futenma airfields using the Todai Health Index. Aircraft noise exposure expressed by L-dn ranged from under 55 to over 70 in the surveyed area. The number of valid answers was 7095, including 848 among the control group. Twelve scale scores were converted to dichotomous variables based on scale scores of the 90 percentile value or the 10 percentile value in the control group. Multiple logistic regression analysis was done taking 12 scale scores converted into the dependent variable and L-dn, age (six levels), sex, occupation (four categories) and the interaction of age and sex as the independent variables. Significant dose-response relationships were found in the scale scores for vague complaints, respiratory, digestive, mental instability, depression and nervousness. The results suggest that the residents living around Kadena and Futenma airfields may suffer both physical and mental effects as a result of exposure to military aircraft noise and that such responses increase with the level of noise exposure (L-dn). (C) 2002 Academic Press.