Aircraft noise exposure and body mass index among female participants in two Nurses’ Health Study prospective cohorts living around 90 airports in the United States

Objective Aircraft noise exposure is linked to cardiovascular disease risk. One understudied candidate pathway is obesity. This study investigates the association between aircraft noise and obesity among female participants in two prospective Nurses’ Health Study (NHS and NHSII) cohorts. Methods Aircraft day-night average noise levels (DNL) were estimated at participant residential addresses from modeled 1 dB (dB) noise contours above 44 dB for 90 United States (U.S.) airports in 5-year intervals 1995–2010. Biennial surveys (1994–2017) provided information on body mass index (BMI; dichotomized, categorical) and other individual characteristics. Change in BMI from age 18 (BMI18; tertiles) was also calculated. Aircraft noise exposures were dichotomized (45, 55 dB), categorized (<45, 45–54, ≥55 dB) or continuous for exposure ≥45 dB. Multivariable multinomial logistic regression using generalized estimating equations were adjusted for individual characteristics and neighborhood socioeconomic status, greenness, population density, and environmental noise. Effect modification was assessed by U.S. Census region, climate boundary, airline hub type, hearing loss, and smoking status. Results At baseline, the 74,848 female participants averaged 50.1 years old, with 83.0 %, 14.8 %, and 2.2 % exposed to <45, 45–54, and ≥55 dB of aircraft noise, respectively. In fully adjusted models, exposure ≥55 dB was associated with 11 % higher odds (95 % confidence interval [95 %CI]: −1%, 24 %) of BMIs ≥30, and 15 % higher odds (95 %CI: 3 %, 29 %) of membership in the highest tertile of BMI18 (ΔBMI 6.7 to 71.6). Less-pronounced associations were observed for the 2nd tertile of BMI18 (ΔBMI 2.9 to 6.6) and BMI 25.0–29.9 as well as exposures ≥45 versus <45 dB. There was evidence of DNL-BMI trends (ptrends ≤ 0.02). Stronger associations were observed among participants living in the West, arid climate areas, and among former smokers. Discussion In two nationwide cohorts of female nurses, higher aircraft noise exposure was associated with higher BMI, adding evidence to an aircraft noise-obesity-disease pathway.