Adam Hege

Surveying the impact of work hours and schedules on commercial motor vehicle driver sleep

Background Given the long hours on the road involving multiple and interacting work stressors (i.e., delivery pressures, irregular shifts, ergonomic hazards), commercial drivers face a plethora of health and safety risks. Researchers goal was to determine whether and to what extent long-haul trucker work schedules influence sleep duration and quality. Methods Survey and biometric data collected from male long-haul truck drivers at a major truckstop in central North Carolina over a six month period. Results Daily hours worked (mean = 11 hours, 55 minutes) and frequency of working over government-mandated daily HOS regulations (23.8% “frequently or always”) were statistically significant predictors of sleep duration. Miles driven per week (mean = 2,812.61), irregular daily hours worked (63.8%), and frequency of working over the daily hour limit (23.8% “frequently or always”) were statistically significant predictors of sleep quality. Conclusion Implications of findings suggest a comprehensive review of the regulations and operational conditions for commercial motor vehicle drivers be undertaken.

The Work Organization of Long-Haul Truck Drivers and the Association With Body Mass Index.

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine relationships between work organization features of work hours, work schedules, and job stress with body mass indexes (BMIs) of long-haul truck drivers. Methods: Face-to-face survey data were collected first, followed by collection of anthropometric measures including height and weight (n = 260). Logistic regression (backward stepwise model) was used to identify significant predictors of BMI and to analyze odds ratios. Results: Mean BMI was 33.40 kg/m2, with 64.2% obese (BMI > 30 kg/m2) and 18.4% extreme/morbidly obese (BMI > 40 kg/m2). Working more than 11 daily hours was associated with statistically significant increased odds for being extreme obese. Conclusion: Findings suggest that longer work hours (>11 hours daily) have a major influence on odds for obesity among this population. The results align with recent NIOSH calls for integrated approaches to worker health.

Work and Chronic Disease: Comparison of Cardiometabolic Risk Markers Between Truck Drivers and the General Us Population

Objective: US long-haul truck drivers experience a wide array of excess cardiometabolic disease (CMD) risks unique to their occupation. How these risks translate to, and potentially induce, elevations in the clinical CMD risk profile of this population is unknown. Methods: A non-experimental, descriptive, cross-sectional design was employed to collect anthropometric and biometric data from 115 long-haul truckers to generate for the first time a comprehensive CMD risk marker profile, which was then compared with the general US population. The relationships between CMD risk markers and CMD outcomes were examined for both populations. Results: The long-haul trucker sample presented elevated CMD risk markers, generally scoring significantly worse than the general population. Associations between CMD risk markers and disease states varied between both populations. Conclusions: US long-haul truck drivers’ distinctive CMD risk profile indicates occupationally-linked CMD pathogenesis.

Work Strain, Social Isolation and Mental Health of Long-Haul Truckers

ABSTRACT Commercial driving is associated with myriad work strains. An ethnographic approach is used to examine how chronic, excess work strains impact the overall mental health of U.S. long-haul truckers. Social isolation and inherent difficulties of establishing and maintaining meaningful social ties during long stretches on the road are found to take a toll on drivers’ mental health. Truckers struggle with loneliness and are overstressed from work pressures and weak support systems. Therefore, commercial driving urgently needs policies designed to curb trucking’s harmful effects on driver mental health and public safety and occupational therapy programs designed to improve mental health.

Work organization, sleep and metabolic syndrome among long-haul truck drivers

Background The work organization of long-haul truck drivers in the USA contains factors that have been shown to degrade sleep. In combination, these factors generate elevated cardiometabolic risk by inducing components of the metabolic syndrome (MetS). However, the prevalence and severity of MetS and the degree to which such factors differentially influence MetS among these drivers are unknown. Aims To determine the prevalence and severity of MetS among US long-haul truck drivers and to determine the predictive value of demographic, work organization and sleep variables in MetS diagnosis and severity. Methods A non-experimental, descriptive, cross-sectional study, designed to collect survey, anthropometric and biometric data from US long-haul truck drivers. Descriptive analyses were performed for demographic, work organization, sleep and MetS measures. Logistic and linear regression analyses examined potential predictive relationships between demographic, work organization and sleep variables and MetS diagnosis and severity. Results The study population was 262. Nearly 60% of drivers met MetS diagnosis criteria. Over 80% had a waist circumference >102 cm, 50% had triglyceride levels of ≥150 mg/dl, 66% had an high-density lipoprotein of <40 mg/dl, 28% had a blood pressure of ≥135/80 mm Hg and 17% had a fasting glucose of ≥110 mg/dl. Driving experience and work day sleep quality were associated with MetS prevalence and severity. Conclusions The prevalence and severity of MetS among this sample of US long-haul truck drivers were high. Preventive efforts should focus on experienced drivers and work day sleep quality.

Work, sleep, and cholesterol levels of U.S. long-haul truck drivers

Long-haul truck drivers in the United States experience elevated cardiovascular health risks, possibly due to hypercholesterolemia. The current study has two objectives: 1) to generate a cholesterol profile for U.S. long-haul truck drivers; and 2) to determine the influence of work organization characteristics and sleep quality and duration on cholesterol levels of long-haul truck drivers. Survey and biometric data were collected from 262 long-haul truck drivers. Descriptive analyses were performed for demographic, work organization, sleep, and cholesterol measures. Linear regression and ordinal logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine for possible predictive relationships between demographic, work organization, and sleep variables, and cholesterol outcomes. The majority (66.4%) of drivers had a low HDL (<40 mg/dL), and nearly 42% of drivers had a high-risk total cholesterol to HDL cholesterol ratio. Sleep quality was associated with HDL, LDL, and total cholesterol, and daily work hours were associated with LDL cholesterol. Workday sleep duration was associated with non-HDL cholesterol, and driving experience and sleep quality were associated with cholesterol ratio. Long-haul truck drivers have a high risk cholesterol profile, and sleep quality and work organization factors may induce these cholesterol outcomes. Targeted worksite health promotion programs are needed to curb these atherosclerotic risks.

US long-haul truck driver health demands integrated approach

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide a review of both occupational safety and health (OSH) and worksite health promotion (WHP) efforts targeted at long-haul truck drivers (LHTDs) and to identify strengths and weaknesses to inform future interventions and/or policy changes. Design/methodology/approach Review of the literature was done to identify theoretical and methodological approaches frequently used for protecting and promoting the health and well-being of LHTDs. Findings Health and safety issues impacting LHTDs are complex and naturally interrelated. Historically, the majority of approaches to the health and safety of LHTDs have emphasized the safety side and there has been a lack of comprehensive and integrated WHP/OSH attempts. Originality/value The literature pertaining to LHTD health has expanded in recent years, but intervention and policy efforts have had limited success. Several scholars have discussed the need for integrating WHP/OSH efforts for LHTD health, but have not actually provided a description or a framework of what it entails in which the authors provide a conclusion to the review of the literature. The authors provide a critical discussion regarding a collaborative approach focused on National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health’s Total Worker Health model. The integration further promotes an advancement of theoretical and methodological strategies.

Active living in rural Appalachia: Using the rural active living assessment (RALA) tools to explore environmental barriers

People residing in rural communities are more likely to be physically inactive and subsequently have elevated risks for chronic disease. Recent evidence has shown this could stem from environmental barriers, inadequate programming and policies directed at the promotion of physical activity (PA) in rural settings. The objective of this research was to assess active living features in rural towns and townships (n = 16) across seven counties in northwestern North Carolina (NC). The study utilized the Town-Wide and Street Segment components of the Rural Active Living Assessment (RALA) as well as the 2014 American Community Survey results. The assessments were conducted in the summer of 2016 in the rural Appalachia region of NC. Using the RALA town-wide assessment scoring system (0 − 100), the range of scores was 18–84, with the mean being 50.06. Three towns had no sidewalks, nine towns had sidewalks on only one side of the main streets, and four had sidewalks on both sides of the main streets. One town was rated as highly walkable, seven towns as moderately walkable, five towns as moderately unwalkable, and three towns as highly unwalkable. The rural Appalachia region of NC offers unique topographic, geographic and environmental barriers to PA. However, our findings indicate many rural towns offer common PA amenities. Future research should utilize qualitative methods and a community-based participatory research approach to more fully understand the challenges with increasing PA in the rural and often isolated Appalachia communities.

Health disparities of Latino immigrant workers in the United States

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the literature pertaining to occupational health disparities experienced by Latino immigrant workers in the USA and to advance a general framework based on systems science to inform epidemiological and intervention research. Design/methodology/approach – Using papers and other sources from 2000 to the present, the authors examined the employment conditions and health outcomes of Latino immigrant workers and critically analyzed the pervasive evidence of health disparities, including causal mechanisms and associated intervention programs. Findings – The occupations, including the work environment and resultant living conditions, frequently performed by Latino immigrants in the USA represent a distinct trigger of increased injury risk and poor health outcomes. Extant intervention programs have had modest results at best and are in need of more comprehensive approaches to address the complex nature of health disparities. Practical implications –...