Zuzana Stefanikova

Community response to environmental noise and the impact on cardiovascular risk score.

OBJECTIVE The objective of our study was to investigate and evaluate the relationship between road traffic noise and cardiovascular risk. METHODS The study sample (n=659; 36.9% male, 63.1% female university students, mean age 22.83+/-1.58 years) included a group exposed to road traffic noise (n=280, L(eq,24h)=67+/-2dB(A)) and a control group (n=379, L(eq,24h)=58.7+/-6dB(A)). Subjective response was determined by a validated noise annoyance questionnaire. The ten year risk of developing a coronary heart disease event was quantified as an evaluation of cardiovascular risk (SCORE60, Framingham 10-year risk estimation and projection to the age of 60, relative risk SCORE chart). RESULTS Cardiovascular risk scores were significantly higher in the exposed group based on the Framingham scores projected to the age of 60, SCORE60 (AOR=2.72 (95% CI=1.21-6.15)) and the relative risk SCORE chart (AOR=2.81 (1.46-5.41)). CONCLUSIONS These findings highlight the association between road traffic noise and cardiovascular risk.

Environmental Noise and Annoyance in the Urban Area at Different Time Intervals

Environmental (community) noise, particularly road traffic noise, has attracted widespread attention in recent decades as a major environmental health concern. The aim of the study was to determine the impact of environmental noise on psychosocial well-being of young healthy individuals and to follow the time trends of exposure in the period of 10, 15, 20, 25 years. The validated methodology was used to assess noise annoyance, interference with activities and sleep disturbance; the objectification of noise levels was done by direct measurement using sound level analyzer with a module for frequency analysis. The results revealed the sharp increase during the years 1989 and 1999 (the period of political and socio-economic transformation and the changes in traffic management) and the decrease in the year 2013. The findings of our study indicate the need for preventive measures to reduce environmental noise exposure in residential areas and to emphasize the importance of the elaboration of methods for environmental noise exposure risk assessment.

Maternal Smoking and Child Behavior in Slovakia

Background: Numerous human epidemiologic and animal studies indicate that childrens secondhand smoke exposure (SHS) is associated with increased rates of child behavior problems. Objective: To investigate the relation between childrens exposure to SHS in their homes and rates of child behavior problems in Slovakia, an area where such investigation has not been previously investigated and where rates of adult smoking are substantially higher than they are in the United States. Setting and Method: Surveys were administered to parents of 1,478 children ages 6 to 15 years throughout Slovakia. Information was collected about child and family sociodemographic characteristics (child age and gender, household income and residence, and maternal and paternal educational and smoking status), and child behavior problems were assessed using the well-utilized parent-reported Child Behavior Problem Index. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted. Results: The response rate was 73 percent, and girls and children from more affluent families were less likely to have behavior problems (in multivariate analyses the adjusted odds ratio for behavior problems and the 95 percent confidence interval (CI) for girls was 0.438 (95 percent CI = 0.286-0.669) and for those living in households earning more than the average income was 0.395 (95 percent CI = 0.260-0.599). In contrast, there was no evidence in bivariate or multivariate analyses of increased rates of behavior problems in children living in households with smokers. Conclusion: Children exposed to household SHS in Slovakia were not found to have increased rates of behavior problems, possibly due to the substantially higher rate of smoking in this country than in the United States and the lack of regulations limiting smoking in public settings.

Exposure to Environmental Tobacco Smoke in Relation to Behavioral, Emotional, Social and Health Indicators of Slovak School Children

Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure has been shown in general as a major environmental risk factor and deserves attention in vulnerable population groups. The aim of the project is to analyze the relationships among the ETS and behavior and health in 6−15-year-old children in Slovakia. The status of physical and mental health of children in relation to exposure to tobacco smoke was examined in a representative group of 1478 school children. The methods used, included anonymous questionnaires filled in by parents, Columbia Impairment Scale (CIS), Behavior Problem Index (BPI) and anthropometry. The prevalence of ETS exposure is the highest in the capital (27%) and southern cities. A significant association was found between ETS and age, socio-economic status, incompleteness of the family, level of mother’s education and a higher prevalence of respiratory diseases (26.7%). The relationships of ETS with emotional (CIS scores ≥ 16) and behavioral functions (BPI score ≥ 14) were significant in children exposed to mother’s or father’s smoking at home. In the multivariate analysis these associations were not significant; the factors such as income and completeness of the family were dominant. The results showed mostly the predominant impact of social factors on the physical and mental health status of Slovak school children.