Nutrition/Obesity
Association between Environmental Noise Exposure and Childhood Body Weight in Taiwan Xin-Chun Peng* Peng Xin-Chun Xin-Chun Xin-Chun Xin-Chun Xin-Chun Xin-Chun Institute of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan
Association between Environmental Noise Exposure and Childhood Body Weight in Taiwan
Xin-Chun Peng, Yi-Di Wang, Siang-Chen Chen, Hsin-Yi Huang, Tsung-Chieh Yao, Wen-Chi Pan
Institute of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences,
National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taiwan
Background:
Childhood obesity is an emerging public health concern globally. Environmental noise may increase obesity risk through stress and sleep disturbance, yet findings remain inconsistent. As most research focuses on European and North American populations, evidence from Asian countries is limited, warranting further investigation.
Objective:
To evaluate the association between exposure to environmental noise and children’s obesity in a Taiwanese birth cohort study.
Methods:
We recruited participants based on the Longitudinal Investigation of Global Health in Taiwanese Schoolchildren (LIGHTS), a birth cohort that recruited 1513 newborns in 2010-2011 (baseline) in the northern Taiwan. We perform a follow-up contact in 2024-2025 and successfully re-contacted 241 children. Overweight and obesity was defined using International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) criteria. Noise exposure was assessed using low-cost noise sensors (i.e., EcoDecibel) followed by machine-learning algorithms to construct participants’ residential exposure to environmental noise. Logistic regression models were utilized to evaluate the association of noise exposure and risk of children’s obesity/overweight, adjusting for the potential confounders.
Results:
Overall, 54 participants (22.4%) were overweight or obese. After adjusting for the potential confounders, environmental noise was positively associated with overweight/obesity. An 1dBA increment on noise was significantly associated with 13% higher odds of overweight/obesity (OR = 1.13; CI: 1.004–1.270; p-value = 0.044). Stratified analyses indicated stronger effects among boys (OR = 1.11; CI: 0.96–1.30; p-value = 0.2) compared with those among girls (OR = 1.05; CI: 0.73–1.45; p-value = 0.8).
Conclusion:
Environmental noise was associated with increased overweight/obesity risk in Asian children, highlighting environmental noise as a metabolic determinant. Policies targeting this modifiable factor may help reduce childhood obesity.
