environmental health indicators for new zealand: feasibility study

4.4.1 Health indicatorsTraf_E1: Mortality from traffic accidentsAvailability: Available from LTSA from 1970 to 2002.Usefulness: Relatively easy to interpret, as link between cause and health effect is explicit.Quality: Updated monthly.Comment: Changes in the indicator may reflect different factors, e.g. traffic volume, trafficspeeds, access to care.Traf_E2: Rate of injuries by traffic accidentsAvailability: Available from LTSA from 1970 to 2002Usefulness: As per TrafE-1Quality: As per TrafE-1Comment: As per TrafE-14.4.2 Extended Set IndicatorsTraf_ext1: Quality of traffic controlAvailability: Not available.Usefulness: Debatable4.5 NoiseTable 5: Noise IndicatorsCode Indicator Availability0-2Quality1-3Usefulness1-3Noise_E1 Population annoyance by certain sources of noise 0 N/A 3Noise_E2 Sleep disturbance by noise 0 N/A 2Noise_A1Application of regulations, restrictions and noise 1 3 3abatement measuresNoise_ext1 Noise levels distribution 0 N/A 3Noise_ext2No. of people exposed to noise levels above a 0 N/A 3standard in noise level categoriesNoise_ext3No. of people exposed to noise levels >80db(A)(8hr) at work place1 1 34.5.1 Health IndicatorsNoise_E1, E2: Population annoyance by certain sources of noise/ Sleep disturbance by noiseAvailability: Not availableUsefulness: Provides a proxy measure of the long-term health effects related to exposure tosome sources of environmental noise.Quality: Subjective, episodic and not systematically collected.Comment: There is a proposed citizen noise survey as part of the next quality of life in bigcities publication. Alternative indicator could be the number of noise complaints, which somecity councils keep.Environmental Health Indicators 14 18 December 2003for New Zealand