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Aircraft noise and mental health: II. Use of medicines and health care services

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2009

Gareth Watkins ,
Alex Tarnopolsky  and
Linda M. Jenkins
Gareth Watkins
Affiliation:
Institute of Psychiatry, London
Alex Tarnopolsky*
Affiliation:
Institute of Psychiatry, London
Linda M. Jenkins
Affiliation:
Institute of Psychiatry, London
*
Address for correspondence: Dr A. Tarnopolsky, Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, Denmark Hill, London SE5 8AF.
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Synopsis

A domiciliary survey (sample size circa 6000) was conducted in areas of different aircraft noise exposure affected by London (Heathrow) Airport. Respondents were urban dwellers aged 16+. Their use of medicines, general practitioner services, hospital facilities and community services were investigated in relation both to the level of aircraft noise and to the degree of annoyance it causes. None of the indicators showed higher uptake in the high noise areas. The relationships between health indicators, noise and annoyance were not uniform. In areas exposed to high noise the use of non-prescribed drugs was significantly higher among ‘very annoyed’ than among ‘less annoyed’ respondents. The uptake of psychotropic drugs, and the use of general practice and out-patient services, tended to increase with increasing annoyance both in high- and low-noise areas, but the differences were not in all cases statistically significant. Parallels were drawn between these results and those of earlier analyses of the same survey related to the prevalence of acute and chronic symptoms. Suggestions for the analysis and interpretation of health effects of noise are put forward.

Type
Research Article
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 11 , Issue 1 , February 1981 , pp. 155 - 168
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1981

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References

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