Noise Measurements and Sources of Noise in Primary Schools Located in Vulnerable Areas in Greece: A Cross-Sectional Study
Journal Title: Occupational Medicine & Health Affairs - Year 2018, Vol 6, Issue 3
Abstract
The objective of the research is to record and evaluate the noise conditions prevailing in schools of socio-economically vulnerable areas in the prefecture of Attica in Greece. For this purpose, external and internal noisemeasurements were carried out in 12 elementary schools, attended by students with low socio-economic profile anda high level of food insecurity, in the prefecture of Attica in Greece. In particular, noise level was recorded in 91classrooms (both occupied and unoccupied), 12 schoolyards and 9 locations outside school buildings. Additionalnoise-related school characteristics were recorded through a questionnaire completed by the schools’ principals.Views on noise sources per classroom and the extent to which they affect learning processes were recorded in thesame questionnaire. All measurements taken of both Unoccupied Ambient Noise Level (UANL) and schoolyardnoise level were higher than the WHO recommended maximum levels. Both these measurements were significantlyhigher than the findings of similar surveys conducted in other studies. The recorded noise level outside the schoolpremises was also quite high compared to the results of other relevant surveys, indicating that the schools whichparticipated in the survey are particularly exposed to environmental noise. According to school principals,simultaneous teaching in other areas of the school is the main source of classroom noise, followed by the studentsthemselves, people talking outside the building, and traffic noise. In conclusion, schools in the socio-economicallyvulnerable areas of the Attica prefecture in Greece are particularly exposed to noise coming from both the internaland external environments of schools. According to existing literature, this is very likely to negatively impact theeffectiveness of the educational process, as well as the health of the teacher
Authors and Affiliations
Kapetanaki S, Konstantopoulou S
Keywords
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- EP ID EP581918
- DOI 10.4172/2329-6879.1000277
- Views 116
- Downloads 0
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Noise Measurements and Sources of Noise in Primary Schools Located in Vulnerable Areas in Greece: A Cross-Sectional Study
The objective of the research is to record and evaluate the noise conditions prevailing in schools of socio-economically vulnerable areas in the prefecture of Attica in Greece. For this purpose, external...