SynthesisInternational journal of environmental research and public health2018
WHO Environmental Noise Guidelines for the European Region: A Systematic Review on Environmental Noise and Quality of Life, Wellbeing and Mental Health.
Synthesis in International journal of environmental research and public health, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 85 papers, 13 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
85 citing papers in PubMed, 13 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 278 citations in OpenAlex.
- Noise pollution during pregnancy and congenital issues: systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2026Pooled it
- The effects of classroom acoustic quality on student perception and wellbeing: a systematic review across educational levels.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Pooled it
- The Effects of Noise on Cognitive Performance and Helplessness in Childhood: A Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Pooled it
- Association between Noise Annoyance and Mental Health Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Pooled it
- Chronic Noise Exposure and Risk of Dementia: A Systematic Review and Dose-Response Meta-Analysis.Frontiers in public health · 2022Pooled it
- The prevalence of occupational exposure to noise: A systematic review and meta-analysis from the WHO/ILO Joint Estimates of the Work-related Burden of Disease and Injury.Environment international · 2021Pooled it
- Traffic Noise and Mental Health: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020Pooled it
- Evidence for Environmental Noise Effects on Health for the United Kingdom Policy Context: A Systematic Review of the Effects of Environmental Noise on Mental Health, Wellbeing, Quality of Life, Cancer, Dementia, Birth, Reproductive Outcomes, and Cognition.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020Pooled it
- Road Traffic Noise Exposure and Depression/Anxiety: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2019Pooled it
- Behavioral and Emotional Disorders and Transportation Noise among Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2019Pooled it
- Road Traffic Noise Exposure and Birth Outcomes: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2019Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Environmental Noise Exposure and the Risk of Sleep Disturbance: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Noise & healthPooled it
- Integrating noise as a risk factor in studies of Alzheimer's disease and dementia: Guidance for epidemiologic research.Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association · 2026Review
- Environmental noise exposure in schools in São Paulo, Brazil: potential noise sources and health impacts among teachers.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Systematic measurement and machine learning-based profile characterization of community noise in a medium-large city in the United States.Journal of exposure science & environmental epidemiology · 2026Article
- Does exercise environment moderate the effects of Tai Chi on depression and anxiety? A systematic review and meta-analysis of indoor vs. outdoor practice settings.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2026Review
- Impact of Residential Noise Exposure on Neurological Health: A Systematic Scoping Review.Journal of urban health : bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine · 2025Article
- Perceived Noise Sources and Their Association with Nurses' Health and Work Performance in Intensive Care Units: A Multicenter Study.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Quantitative Health Impact Assessment of Environmental Exposures Linked to Urban Transport and Land Use in Europe: State of Research and Research Agenda.Current environmental health reports · 2025Review
25 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
This systematic review assesses the quality of the evidence across studies on the effect of environmental noise (road traffic noise, aircraft noise, railway noise, wind-turbine noise) on quality of life, wellbeing and mental health. Quantitative studies of noise effects on children and adults published from January 2005 up to October 2015 were reviewed. A total of 29 papers were identified. 90% of the papers were of cross-sectional design, with fewer studies of longitudinal or intervention design. Outcomes included depression and anxiety, medication use and childhood emotional problems. The quality of the evidence across the studies for each individual noise source was assessed using an adaptation of the GRADE methodology. Overall, given the predominance of cross-sectional studies, most evidence was rated as very low quality, with evidence of effects only being observed for some noise sources and outcomes. These ratings reflect inconsistent findings across studies, the small number of studies and a lack of methodological robustness within some domains. Overall, there are few studies of clinically significant mental health outcomes; few studies of railway noise exposure; and studies of large samples are needed. The lack of evidence for noise effects across studies for many of the quality of life, wellbeing and mental health domains examined does not necessarily mean that there are no effects: rather, that they have not yet been studied robustly for different noise sources.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.