Environmental noise from roads and railways could have an adverse affect on children’s mental health, especially if they are born premature or are underweight at birth, according to new research.

Austrian researchers from the Institute of Hygiene and Social Medicine in Innsbruck conducted two parallel studies to investigate the impact of noise on children between the ages of 8 and 11. The first study concentrated on 1,280 children exposed to a wide range of environmental noise levels. The second looked at 125 children exposed to either high or low levels.

The children all lived in the Tyrol region of Austria, which contains small mountain towns and villages, a mix of small industries and a busy transport route connecting the north and south of the country.

Researchers examined the birth records of each child, as well as reports on behavior and performance at school. The children were also asked how often they felt anxious, depressed, stressed or suffered from sleep problems.

The team found that environmental noise significantly affected the children’s performance at school, their ability to concentrate and their social behavior. Higher levels of noise had an increased impact on children’s mental health.

However, children who had been born premature, or who were underweight at birth, were most affected by the impact of environmental noise.

The authors of the report said, “These children could be more reactive to the harmful consequences of noise because of their known greater susceptibility to behavioral problems in early childhood or because of physiological effects of ‘early programming’.”

The study is published in the current edition of the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

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