Research has shown that taxi drivers are at risk for numerous health concerns, such as low back and leg pain, linked to their highly sedentary occupation, long work hours and stressors related to the job (e.g. low income, safety threats). The goal of this study was to explore occupational health risks and opportunities for health interventions with taxi drivers using community-based participatory research (CBPR) methods. A mixed methods approach included first a convenience sample of 19 East African taxi drivers participating in focus group discussions. Second, a convenience sample of 75 current taxi drivers (M age = 45.7 years) and 25 non-driver comparison participants (M age = 40.3 years) were recruited to complete a structured self-reported questionnaire and objective measures of health. Health education was provided alongside the research to address common health concerns and to ensure mutual benefit and an action orientation. The focus groups described numerous health concerns that drivers attributed to their occupation, including chronic pain, sleep deprivation, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, kidney disease and eye problems, as the most common. Participants offered ideas for health interventions that include workplace reform and driver education. Quantitative data indicate that 44% of drivers reported their health as 'fair' or 'poor'. Drivers were more likely to report musculoskeletal pain, less sleep, more fatigue and less physical activity as compared to non-drivers. The majority of drivers reported financial and job dissatisfaction. The research provides data to inform targeted health interventions that support the health and safety of taxi drivers.

Distracted driving is a highly prevalent behavior among college students who have higher confidence in their own driving skills and ability to multitask than they have in other drivers' abilities. Drivers' self-efficacy for driving and multitasking in the car, coupled with a greater likelihood of having witnessed DD behaviors in others, greatly increased the probability that a student would engage in DD. Most students felt that policies, such as laws impacting driving privilege and insurance rate increases, would influence their behavior.

Additional controlled trials of cognitive rehabilitation are needed to establish best clinical practice. The authors suggest memory training, cognitive behavioral therapy, and environmental interventions as areas of future research for sports concussion injuries.

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N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) is used to identify cardiac stress, manage, and treat cardiac disease progression, and diagnose heart failure (HF). Notably, this peptide is paradoxically lower in HF patients who are obese. In this regard, a growing body of evidence has investigated its association with body composition, but the relationship between NT-proBNP and muscle quality is unknown. Therefore, we investigated the associations between abdominal muscle volume and density with NT-proBNP. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of participants from the MESA Abdominal Body Composition, Inflammation, and Cardiovascular Disease (ABC) ancillary study. At exams 2 and 3, participants underwent abdominal computed tomography (CT) scans and had venous blood drawn. Images were analyzed using software (MIPAV 41.2), and Hounsfield units (HU) were used to determine the density of muscle groups of interest (total abdominal muscle [oblique, rectus abdominus, paraspinus muscles, psoas], stabilization muscles [oblique, rectus abdominus, paraspinus muscle] and, psoas muscle). NT-proBNP was log-transformed due to the skewed distribution of the variable. Fat, lean, and total tissue areas were measured in square centimeters. Multivariable linear regression models were used to test the associations between muscle quantity and quality (area and density), separately, with adjustment for age, sex, race/ethnicity, diabetes, smoking, hypertension, moderate-to-vigorous (MVPA), sedentary behavior, height, subcutaneous fat, visceral fat, visceral fat density, leptin, adiponectin, CRP, IL-6, and TNF-alpha. We included 1,489 participants with a mean age 64.8 (9.6) years, and 51.6% were female. The majority were non-Hispanic White (42%), followed by Hispanics (26%), African Americans (18%), and Chinese Americans (14%). After full adjustment, stabilization muscle density was inversely associated with NT-proBNP (β = -0.024, 95% CI: -0.038, -0.010). The results were similar for total abdominal muscle density (β = -0.026, 95% CI: -0.042, -0.010) and psoas muscle density (β = -0.013, 95% CI: -0.026, -0.001). For the latter, addition of muscle area as a covariate attenuated the association β = -0.011, 95% CI: -0.025, 0.002). After minimal adjustment, multivariable models of total abdominal muscle and psoas muscle areas for NT-proBNP were inversely associated but became non-significant with the addition of inflammation biomarkers (leptin, adiponectin, CRP, IL- 6, and TNF-alpha) and muscle density. Area of stabilization muscles and NT-proBNP were not significantly associated. Abdominal muscle area and NT-proBNP were not consistently associated, whereas abdominal muscle density and NT-proBNP were robustly inversely associated independently of muscle area, sociodemographic characteristics, cardiovascular risk factors, and inflammation biomarkers.