[Association between environmental noise exposure and sleep quality in adults living in Medellín, Colombia, 2022: an...

Environmental noise is an urban air pollutant in metropolises. This study aimed to identify the association between differential exposure to environmental noise and sleep quality in adults. This cross-sectional study used stratified random sampling of households according to two noise exposure categories (high [≥ 65dBA] and low [≤ 50dBA]), as specified by the urban noise map. People aged over 18 years, who slept and spent most of their time in the place during the last six months were selected, and people undergoing treatment for mental or communication disorders were excluded. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect sociodemographic, clinical, lifestyle, noise exposure, and subjective sleep quality characteristics (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index). Statistical analysis included chi-squared tests and Spearman's correlations, and a Poisson regression model with robust variance was used. The analyses were performed in Stata v12. A total of 221 participants were included, 53.4% female, with a mean age of 57 years (IQR: 35-67), 52.9% workers and 45.9% with higher education. It was observed that 47.5% of the participants had some underlying pathology. Residents of places with high noise exposure had a 13% higher prevalence of poor sleep quality compared to those in places with low exposure (PR = 1.13; 95%CI: 0.99-1.28). Although affecting sleep quality, the ways and extent with which environmental noise affects individuals seems to be influenced by noise sensitivity, length of exposure, sociodemographic variables, lifestyle habits, and mental health disorders.