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City Know-hows
Future gaps to be focused on are discussed. Such as how children perceive and interpret different noises and how their personal experiences correlate with objective measurements, and the long-term repercussions of sustained noise exposure during the formative years on adult cognition, behaviour, and health outcomes.
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Target audience
The built environment and health professions; Parents, School organisations and City officers.
The problem
Noise is an increasingly recognized environmental stressor affecting the cognitive and psychological development of school children. However, existing studies often examine isolated outcomes without integrating exposure pathways and underlying mechanisms. A synthesized review of different types of noise on school children’s cognition had not been completed before.
What we did and why
Our study is special as a review of noise impacts on school children; many have explored the subject, but not using a rigorous synthesis. We carried out the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) technique in this subject area. PRISMA is a well-known method for systematic review and meta-analysis. A total of 43 articles were thoroughly reviewed and studied.
Our study’s contribution
Our study findings are as follows:
• A detailed literature review of 43 articles using the Strokes table and 20 different factors
• Meta-analysis for sound indices and noise level. We found that the average classroom noise is up to 72 dB(A), far exceeding the WHO’s recommended threshold of 35 dB(A).
• Physio-psychological health outcomes were documented concerning exposure to noise pollution.
• Documented significant impact on concentration, poorer academic performance, and increased stress among students. Further, severe health consequences were found in the literature from continuous noise exposure.
• Research gaps and future scope are documented.
Impacts for city policy and practice
For policy purposes, our various study outputs, in the form of the most significant impact of noise on school students, provide the basis for further study. Planners need to research school zones and review measures to consider the impact of noise. The little unexplored issue of sustained noise impact on cognition needs to be taken into account and studied further by public health practitioners and policy-makers to evaluate the long-term impact of noise on school students, so advising future policies.
Further information
Full research article:
Cognitive and psychological effects of environmental noise on school children: a systematic literature review by Avnish Shukla, Bhaven Tandel & Chintaman Bari.
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