This doctorial thesis describes results of a field study on the impact of aircraft noise on noise annoyance and quality of life of residents living around Frankfurt Airport. The study is the so-called ‘RDF Annoyance Study’, commissioned by the Regional Dialogue Forum Airport and Region. In this study, 2312 residents living in the vicinity of Frankfurt Airport were asked in face-to-face interviews for their aircraft noise disturbances and annoyance, perceived residential quality, health-related quality of life, sleep quality, health complaints and diagnosed chronical health diseases. Furthermore, the individual noise sensitivity, attitudes towards the noise source and authorities perceived to be responsible as well as socio-demographic variables are assessed. A sub-study with 200 persons participated in an in-depth study on the assessment of hourly aircraft noise annoyance by means of a personal digital assistant. For the home address of each participant aircraft, road traffic, and railway sound levels were estimated. Results on response-relationships for aircraft noise annoyance, the impact of aircraft noise on quality of life and the mediating role of aircraft noise annoyance and the individual noise sensitivity are presented. In addition, the associations between non-acoustical factors such as attitudes towards the source and responsible agents and aircraft noise annoyance are shown and discussed. The limitations of a cross-sectional study such as the RDF study are presented with regard to causal conclusions. As an outlook, the concept of the comprehensive transportation noise study NORAH (Noise-Related Annoyance, Cognition, and Health) is introduced. The study is commissioned by the Centre for Environment and Neighbourhood, Kelsterbach. This study, conducted in the years 2011 to 2013, comprises a mix of longitudinal and cross-sectional sub-studies in communities around Frankfurt Airport and the airports Berlin-Brandenburg, Cologne/Bonn, and Stuttgart. The study includes socio-acoustical, psychological, epidemiological, environment and sleep medical methods in order to investigate the impact of aircraft, railway, and road traffic noise on adult’s annoyance, quality of life, sleep, blood pressure and risk of health diseases and on children’s cognitive performance and quality of life. First results of the NORAH study will be presented. | English |