Dynamic mechanisms of traffic noise exposure and non-auditory health outcomes
Thesis event information
Date and time of the thesis defence
Place of the thesis defence
Auditorium F202, Aapistie 5 B
Topic of the dissertation
Dynamic mechanisms of traffic noise exposure and non-auditory health outcomes
Doctoral candidate
Master of Arts Yiyan He
Faculty and unit
University of Oulu Graduate School, Faculty of Medicine, Research Unit of Population Health
Subject of study
Epidemiology
Opponent
Professor Kerstin Persson Waye, University of Gothenburg
Custos
Professor Sylvain Sebert, University of Oulu
Complex mechanisms of traffic noise exposure and cardiometabolic and mental health outcomes
Environmental noise from traffic is one of the most widespread environmental pollution in Europe. In addition to its effects on hearing, growing evidence suggests that traffic noise may contribute to cardiometabolic and mental health outcomes. However, the biological mechanisms underlying these associations remain insufficiently understood. The objective of this doctoral thesis was to investigate the complex mechanisms linking long-term traffic noise exposure to non-auditory health outcomes. The research focused on cardiometabolic health and mental disorders and additionally examined whether hearing loss explains the association between hearing loss and adiposity.
The thesis integrates evidence from three complementary studies. First study used genetic methods to assess potential causal relationships between hearing loss and adiposity. Second study examined associations between nighttime road traffic noise and 155 metabolic biomarkers in 272,229 adults from three large European population-based cohorts (UK Biobank, the Rotterdam Study, and the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966). Third study investigated longitudinal associations between traffic noise exposure and incident depression and anxiety. This study used nationwide Finnish register data covering 120,975 children, adolescents and young adults.
The main findings showed that higher exposure to traffic noise was linked to more harmful changes in metabolic biomarkers and an increased risk of depression and anxiety. These biomarkers, including cholesterol-enriched lipoproteins, fatty acids and other lipids, are known to be linked with cardiometabolic risk factors and may reflect stress-related changes in the body activated by long-term noise exposure. The genetic analyses did not find evidence that hearing loss would directly cause increased adiposity.
The thesis provides multi-level evidence that long-term exposure to traffic noise is associated with adverse cardiometabolic outcomes in adults and higher risk of depression and anxiety in young populations. The findings highlight the importance of reducing environmental noise for public health and support the integration of noise mitigation strategies into urban planning and preventive health policies.
The thesis integrates evidence from three complementary studies. First study used genetic methods to assess potential causal relationships between hearing loss and adiposity. Second study examined associations between nighttime road traffic noise and 155 metabolic biomarkers in 272,229 adults from three large European population-based cohorts (UK Biobank, the Rotterdam Study, and the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966). Third study investigated longitudinal associations between traffic noise exposure and incident depression and anxiety. This study used nationwide Finnish register data covering 120,975 children, adolescents and young adults.
The main findings showed that higher exposure to traffic noise was linked to more harmful changes in metabolic biomarkers and an increased risk of depression and anxiety. These biomarkers, including cholesterol-enriched lipoproteins, fatty acids and other lipids, are known to be linked with cardiometabolic risk factors and may reflect stress-related changes in the body activated by long-term noise exposure. The genetic analyses did not find evidence that hearing loss would directly cause increased adiposity.
The thesis provides multi-level evidence that long-term exposure to traffic noise is associated with adverse cardiometabolic outcomes in adults and higher risk of depression and anxiety in young populations. The findings highlight the importance of reducing environmental noise for public health and support the integration of noise mitigation strategies into urban planning and preventive health policies.
Created 12.3.2026 | Updated 13.3.2026