Ruído e vegetação urbana: estudo sobre incômodo e qualidade do sono

Abstract

The present work aimed to investigate the influence of urban vegetation as a modulator of responses to exposure to urban noise, through the development of three manuscripts. Manuscript 1 sought to investigate the efficiency of urban vegetation in noise exposure. The sound levels and the quantification of the volume of road traffic were surveyed for two sections studied, the BR-459 highway and a road protected by the vegetation corridor. The characterization of the urban vegetation in the corridor was carried out through the floristic composition and intrinsic characteristics of the arboreal individuals, such as size, circumference of the trunk, width of the leaves and the crown. The values between the measured sound levels and those estimated by the prediction model algorithm were compared. The association between the characteristics of arboreal individuals and traffic noise was made using Spearman's ranking. The equivalent sound levels (LAeq) obtained in the field were 73.7 dB(A) and 62.5 dB(A) for the areas adjacent to the highway and the vegetation corridor, respectively. In the same order, according to the model applied, the LAeq values were 77.5 dB(A) for the highway and 68.4 dB(A) for the road protected by vegetation. The biggest difference between the values obtained for the corridor points to a possible attenuation offered by the vegetation. There was a higher prevalence (50.0%), significant, of very disturbed in residents along the highway, when compared to the other area. The circumference of the trunks showed a significant positive association with the sound levels in the stretch. It is suggested to adopt studies with greater depth that exceed the existing limits in these due to some inconclusive results regarding the influence of vegetation. Manuscript 2 investigated the association between exposure to noise from road traffic and annoyance and the influence of urban vegetation in the neighborhoods Avenida, Boa Vista, Porto Velho, Varginha, São Sebastião and Santa Rosa in the municipality of Itajubá/MG. Two instruments were used on the sample of subjects: a structured questionnaire to investigate the perception of annoyance and the presence of urban vegetation in the area and the Mini Sleep Questionnaire (MSQ). The analyzes of the data obtained by applying the questionnaires were carried out through logistic regression. Significant associations were found between the individual being highly annoyed with the noise of road traffic and living near noisy areas, the perception that the noise impairs the quality of sleep; the existence of sleep-related disorders, ethnicity and a high level of education. It’s concluded that, by the instruments used, no association was found regarding the perception of vegetation as a mediator in relation to the reduction of annoyance due to noise exposure. The association between exposure to road traffic noise and sleep quality, mediated by urban vegetation in the same locations as Manuscript 2 was investigated in Manuscript 3. Two instruments were used on the sample of subjects: a structured questionnaire to explore the perception of interference on sleep quality and the urban vegetation present in the area and the MSQ used to characterize disorders related to sleep quality. The analysis of the data obtained by both instruments was also performed by logistic regression. Regarding the perception of interference in the quality of sleep, manifestation of annoyance due to traffic noise, living with a partner and residence time over two years, there was a significant positive association, as for age, negative. Intensity of annoyance, low education, low concentration of vegetation and living alone or even with a person showed a significant positive association with quality of sleep as measured by MSQ. It’s concluded that vegetation is associated with the sleep quality of the sample analyzed only by the MSQ instrument.