Table 1.
Characteristics of subjects included in the study, variables divided in continuous and categorical variables.
| Characteristics | Total (n = 515) | Non-Hypertensive (n = 313) | Hypertensive (n = 194) | p-Value a |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continuous variables [median (IQR)] | ||||
| Systolic blood pressure (mmHg) | 123.1 (20.0) | 117.5 (16.0) | 136.5 (20.5) | <0.001 * |
| Diastolic blood pressure (mmHg) | 78.5 (12.1) | 76.0 (9.25) | 86.8 (13.25) | <0.001 * |
| Age (years) | 58.2 (14.2) | 54.8 (12.8) | 62.7 (11.3) | <0.001 * |
| Main noise source LDEN [dB(A)] | 62 (10.0) | 61.6 (10.6) | 62.5 (10.2) | 0.066 |
| Main noise source LNIGHT [dB(A)] | 53.5 (18.0) | 53.1 (15.4) | 54.1 (18.3) | 0.254 |
| Noise sensitivity score (10–60) b | 39.0 (12.0) | 39.0 (12.0) | 39.0 (11.0) | 0.874 |
| Categorical variables [n (%)] | ||||
| Male sex | 228 (44.1) | 124 (39.6) | 101 (50.2) | 0.042 |
| BMI (Kg/m2) | <0.001 * | |||
| <18.5 | 9 (1.7) | 8 (2.6) | 1 (0.5) | |
| 18.5–24.9 | 251 (48.6) | 178 (56.9) | 73 (36.3) | |
| 25–29.9 | 201 (38.9) | 97 (31.0) | 103 (51.2) | |
| 30+ | 56 (10.8) | 30 (9.6) | 24 (11.9) | |
| Educational level | <0.001 * | |||
| University or similar | 241 (46.6) | 166 (53.0) | 73 (36.3) | |
| Secondary | 174 (33.7) | 103 (32.9) | 70 (34.8) | |
| Primary | 66 (12.8) | 31 (9.9) | 35 (17.4) | |
| Illiterate | 33 (6.4) | 12 (3.8) | 21 (10.5) | |
| Smoking | 0.501 | |||
| Professional Status | ||||
| Unemployed | 58 (11.5) | 34 (10.9) | 24 (12.5) | |
| Retired | 157 (31.1) | 78 (24.9) | 79 (24.9) | |
| Actual worker | 290 (64.6) | 201 (64.2) | 89 (64.2) | <0.001 * |
| Physical activity (moderate exercise) | ||||
| Less than 1 time/week | 45 (8.9) | 20 (6.4) | 25 (13.0) | |
| Between 1 and 3 times/week | 134 (26.5) | 91 (29.2) | 43 (22.4) | |
| More than 3 times/week | 326 (64.6) | 202 (64.5) | 124 (64.6) | 0.020 |
| Never smokers | 235 (45.5) | 148 (47.3) | 85 (42.3) | |
| Smokers | 116 (22.4) | 72 (23.0) | 44 (21.9) | |
| Former smokers | 166 (32.1) | 93 (29.7) | 72 (35.8) | |
| Drinking c | 0.009 * | |||
| Non-drinkers | 146 (28.2) | 98 (31.3) | 48 (23.9) | |
| Casual drinkers | 187 (38.2) | 117 (37.4) | 68 (33.8) | |
| Regular drinkers | 183 (35.4) | 98 (31.3) | 84 (41.8) | |
| Diet, use of pre-cooked foods | 208 (40.2) | 142 (45.4) | 64 (31.8) | 0.009 * |
| Living room orientation, noise source d | 128 (24.8) | 77 (24.6) | 51 (25.4) | 0.882 |
| Bedroom orientation, noise source d | 134 (25.9) | 84 (26.8) | 48 (23.9) | 0.571 |
| Closing windows, yes e | 162 (31.3) | 107 (34.2) | 54 (26.9) | 0.081 |
| Protections, yes f | 333 (64.4) | 207 (66.1) | 124 (61.7) | 0.395 |
| Noise annoyance g | 0.878 | |||
| Moderate (0–7) | 201 (39.0) | 119 (45.9) | 75 (45.2) | |
| High (8–10) | 231 (44.9) | 140 (54.1) | 91 (54.8) | |
| Not exposed | 83 (16.1) | 54 (67.5) | 26 (32.5) | |
| Air pollution annoyance, high h | 281 (54.4) | 170 (54.3) | 110 (54.7) | 0.200 |
| Noise groups | 0.018 | |||
| Aircraft | 100 (19.8) | 59 (18.9) | 41 (21.4) | |
| Road traffic + Aircraft | 80 (15.8) | 40 (12.8) | 40 (20.8) | |
| Road traffic | 74 (14.7) | 42 (13.4) | 32 (16.7) | |
| Railway | 118 (23.4) | 85 (27.2) | 33 (17.2) | |
| Recreational | 53 (10.5) | 33 (10.5) | 20 (10.4) | |
| Reference group | 80 (15.8) | 54 (17.3) | 26 (13.5) | |
a Chi-square test and Kruskall-Wallis test for strata of hypertension with categorical or continuous variables, respectively. b Higher noise sensitivity with higher values. c Casual: less than 2 glasses/week. (1 missing observation) d Control group not included. e Yes: always close windows (vs. no: never, only on summer or winter season). f Sound-proofed windows or changes in structure due to noise. g Referred to the main noise source; in case of aircraft/traffic group, the higher annoyance is selected. h Score from 6 to 10 in a 0–10 scale. * Category with a significant association with hypertension.