Leisure noise exposure and blood pressure among young adults : an exploratory analysis of the OHRKAN cohort data

Abstract

Objective: This study aims to investigate the association between leisure noise exposure and blood pressure levels among young adults aged 23-30 years. Methods: Cross-sectional data from 917 participants collected during the fifth survey (OHRKAN 5) of the OHRKAN longitudinal cohort study were analysed. Blood pressure measurements were taken following standardised protocols, and leisure noise exposure was surveyed through a detailed questionnaire covering 22 leisure activities. A threshold of < / ≥ 80 dB(A) was used for leisure noise exposure level assessment. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to examine associations between leisure noise exposure and blood pressure levels, adjusting for sociodemographic and cardiovascular parameters. Results: The OHRKAN 5 cohort showed unusually high rates of elevated blood pressure, reaching 43.1% among males and 21.4% among females – substantially exceeding rates documented in previous studies of similar age groups. No significant association was observed between leisure noise exposure and blood pressure levels (OR = 0.95, 95% CI: 0.70–1.30, p=.7623). However, male gender (OR: 2.71, 95% CI: 2.01-3.66, p<.0001) and self-reported physician-diagnosed hypertension (OR = 6.19, 95% CI: 2.15–17.90, p=.0007) showed strong positive associations with hypertensive blood pressure levels. A sensitivity analysis with blood pressure treated as a continuous variable confirmed these findings. Conclusion: No evidence for elevated blood pressure levels related to leisure noise exposure was found among the young study population. The voluntary nature of leisure noise exposure and potentially different stress responses compared to environmental or occupational noise might explain these findings. Future research is needed to further investigate these results and explore potential mechanisms underlying the relationship between leisure noise exposure and cardiovascular parameters.