The Perceived Value of Reducing Sedentary Behavior in the Truck Driving Population

Quasi-experimental design for using an interactive social media intervention program to improve truck drivers' health beliefs and eating behaviors

Background

Truck drivers have difficulties participating in health education programs delivered at a fixed time and place due to the mobility of their workplace. Interventions conducted via social media can overcome these limitations of time and place. This study aimed to investigate the effect of a nutrition education intervention program delivered via a social media platform on the healthy eating behaviors of truck drivers.

Methods

This study adopted a quasi-experimental design. A 12-week intervention program was conducted for a social-media group (n = 125) and a conventional-teaching group (n = 117) from February to May 2020. The social-media group participated in a social-media-based health intervention on the LINE application. The intervention involved the provision of online messages, online instant responses, a picture-based food log, an audio e-book, and a loyalty e-card. The conventional-teaching group participated in a healthy diet course and a hygiene education manual. The generalized estimation equation (GEE) was applied to evaluate the intervention effects on the outcome measures derived from the Health Belief Model.

Results

The results of the GEE showed the social-media-based intervention strategies significantly decreased perceived barriers of consuming a healthy diet (p =  < 0.001), increased willingness to follow cues of action (p = 0.036), improved the self-efficacy of healthy eating behaviors (p = 0.001), and increased the score of healthy eating behaviors (p < 0.001) compared with the conventional teaching strategies. For the social-media and conventional-teaching groups, no significant changes occurred in self-perceived health status, self-perceived susceptibility, or self-perceived severity after the intervention. More than 90% of the participants in the social-media group believed the social-media-based intervention strategies could help implement and maintain healthy eating behaviors.

Conclusions

The results indicate social-media-based intervention strategies can facilitate approaching a population without a fixed workplace, such as truck drivers. Health promoters and planners focusing on occupational health can consider developing social-media-based intervention strategies for improving truck drivers' health status.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-022-13883-6.

Factors Associated with Colorectal Cancer Prevalence Among Long-Haul Truck Drivers in the United States

PURPOSE

To determine the age-adjusted association between colorectal cancer (CRC) risk factors and CRC prevalence among long-haul truck drivers (aged 21-85), after adjustment for age.

DESIGN

Pooled cross-sectional analysis using Commercial Driver Medical Exam (CDME) data. Setting. National survey data from January 1, 2005, to October 31, 2012.

PARTICIPANTS

47,786 commercial motor vehicle drivers in 48 states.

MEASURES

CRC prevalence was the primary outcome; independent variables included demographics, body mass index (BMI), and concomitant medical conditions.

ANALYSIS

Kruskal-Wallis tests to analyze continuous variables; Fischer's exact tests to analyze categorical variables; univariate and multivariable logistic regression for rare events (Firth method) to quantify the association between the independent variables of interest and CRC prevalence. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were adjusted for age, gender, years with current employer, year of exam, and BMI in a multivariate logistic regression.

RESULTS

Many factors were statistically significant. Obesity (OR = 3.14; 95% CI = 1.03-9.61) and increasing age (OR = 1.10 per year; 95% CI = 1.07-1.13) were significantly associated with CRC prevalence. Truckers with 4 or more concomitant medical conditions were significantly more likely to have CRC (OR = 7.03; 95% CI = 1.83-27.03).

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings highlight mutable risk factors and represent an opportunity for intervention that may decrease CRC morbidity and mortality among truck drivers, a unique population in the United States estimated to live up to 16 years less than the general population.

Truck Drivers' Cigarette Smoking and Preferred Smoking Cessation Methods

Introduction:

Some studies show that truck drivers use tobacco and other stimulants to stay awake as they drive. Despite their increased risks for many of tobacco-related health disparities, there is limited engagement of truck drivers in smoking cessation programs. The objective of this study was to describe smoking characteristics and identify their preferred smoking cessation methods among truck drivers.

Methods:

This was a cross-sectional mixed methods study. Participants were truck drivers recruited at trucking companies in Utah in 2019. Participants were either individually interviewed (n = 4), or filled out a survey (n = 33). We conducted qualitative data analysis of the interviews followed by descriptive statistics of smoking and cessation characteristics from the survey.

Results:

Reasons for smoking included, staying awake, stress reduction, or something to do while driving. Of the drivers surveyed, 68.8% were daily smokers while 97% had smoked at least 100 cigarettes in their life time. The mean number of cigarettes per day (cpd) was 15.7, and 25 among those who had 10 or more cpd. Sixty-one percent had made at least a quit attempt. In addition to counseling or brief advice, 68% reported interest in using Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) either as gum or patch to help them quit. 21% reported interest in telephone text messaging to engage them in treatment.

Conclusion:

Cigarette smoking is a public health problem among truck drivers. Our findings suggest that truck drivers are interested in quitting smoking. Evidence based interventions tailored to this population are needed to help them quit and reduce their smoking-related morbidity.