Background: Noise is a global occupational and environmental health hazard with considerable social and physiological impact and therefore, the need for regular measurements to boost monitoring and regulations of environmental noise levels in our communities.
This necessitates a readily available, inexpensive and easy to use noise measuring device. Objective/aim: We aimed to test the sensitivity and validity of mobile “smart “phones for this purpose. Methods: This was a comparative analysis of a cross sectional study done between January 2014 and February 2015. Noise levels were measured simultaneously at different locations within Abuja Nigeria at day and night hours in real time environments.
A sound level meter(SLM) [Extech407730 Digital Soundmeter, Serial no:2310135,calibration no:91037] and three smartphones (Samsung Galaxy note3; Nokia S and Techno Phantom Z running on Android “Apps” Androidboy1) were used. Statistical calculations were done with Pearson correlation, T-test and Consistency within American National Standards Institute(ANSI) acceptable standard errors.
Results: Noise level readings for both daytime and night with the Sound Level Meter and mobile phone showed equivalent values. All level meters measured were <100dB. The daytime readings were nearly identical in six (6) locations and the maximum difference in values between the two instruments was 3db, noted in two (2) locations.
Readings in dBA showed strong correlation(r = 0.9) within acceptable error limits for Type 2 SLM devices and no significant difference in the values (p ? 0.12 & 0.58) for both day and night. Sensitivity of the instrument yielded 92.9%. Conclusion: The androidboy1 “app” performance in this study showed a good correlation and comparative high sensitivity to the Standard Sound Level Meter (type 2 SLM device). However there is the need for further studies.
Via: Research Gate