Assessment of Thermal Comfort in the Elderly Affected by Temperature Range Variation, Type, and Intensity of Environmental Noise
Keywords:
comfort, elderly, sound, elderly healthAbstract
Thermal comfort significantly impacts the health and quality of life of elderly individuals. Therefore, ensuring thermal comfort is critical for the well-being of seniors, especially as they are more vulnerable to environmental changes. The purpose of this study was to examine the thermal comfort status of the elderly influenced by variations in temperature range, as well as the type and intensity of environmental noise. This experimental study included 216 elderly residents of Ilam as the statistical population. The experiment was conducted in the autumn of 2024. Participants were divided into various groups to assess the effects of temperature (20, 25, and 30 degrees Celsius), noise intensity (55, 65, 75, and 85 dB), and noise type (music, traffic, and crowd noise). Subjects were randomly assigned to groups of 72, 24, 12, and 6 participants. The collected data were analyzed using three-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) to evaluate the effects across variables. The findings indicated that different levels of temperature and noise intensity had statistically significant effects on thermal comfort perception among the elderly, with values of F(2,180)=275.665, p<0.05 and F(3,180)=0.197, p<0.05, respectively. The interaction of temperature levels with noise type also had a significant impact on the perception of thermal comfort in the elderly, with F(4,180)=17.192, p<0.05. In contrast, the factors of noise type, the interaction between temperature and noise type, temperature and noise intensity, noise type and noise intensity, and the three-way interaction of temperature, noise type, and noise intensity did not have significant effects on the elderly’s thermal comfort perception. The mean thermal comfort perception scores among the elderly for the temperature levels of 20°C, 25°C, and 30°C were -0.86, 0.13, and 1.52, respectively. The results of this study demonstrate that different levels of temperature and noise intensity significantly influence thermal comfort in the elderly. Furthermore, a significant interaction exists between temperature and noise type in affecting thermal comfort. However, factors such as noise type alone, and the interactions between temperature and noise intensity, noise type and noise intensity, and the combination of temperature, noise type, and intensity, did not have a significant impact on thermal comfort in the elderly.
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