| Popis: |
Within the framework of the Health Impact Assessment Schiphol Airport, a feasibility study was conducted in primary school children. The purpose of the study was to examine the feasibility of using computerized performance tests and questionnaires to examine the behavioral effects of exposure to aircraft noise in children. The study involved 159 children aged 8-12 years, 86 attending school in Zwanenburg, a town located 8 kilometers from the airport and 73 children attending school in Uitgeest, a town located approximately 23 kilometers from the airport. Methods used to assess behavioral functioning included selected tests from the Neurobehavioral Evaluation System designed to assess attention, psychomotor performance, perceptual coding, learning and memory as well as two behavioral questionnaires. Subjective ratings of sleep quality and annoyance were also examined. Children were tested twice during school hours in the period May-June 1995 with a 4-6 week interval between testing. The results of this study indicated a high level of acceptance of computerized testing procedures by the children, teachers and parents and a high level of test-retest reliability for most tests and rating scales. Some differences in performance and behavioral ratings between the high and lower exposure groups were noted. However, no firm conclusions regarding the relationship between aircraft noise and performance can be reached because of the small number of children tested and the lack of adequate exposure information. In conclusion, the results of this study demonstrate the feasibility of applying behavioral methods in the school setting. Based on these results, it is recommended that future research designed to examine the effects of aircraft noise using these methods employ study designs involving the testing of at least 500 children from locations with known exposure levels. Further, these locations should be chosen to maximize the contrast in aircraft noise exposure and estimates of individual aircraft exposure for each child should be obtained. |
