OBJECTIVE: While trucking in industrialized nations is linked with driver health afflictions, the role of trucking in U.S. truckers' health remains largely unknown. This paper sheds light on links between the trucking work environment and drivers' physical health. METHODS: Using a cross-sectional design, 316 truckers were enrolled in the Healthy Trucker Survey. Questions included work history, physical and mental health, and healthcare access. PASW 18 was used to examine patterns among factors. PARTICIPANTS: 316 truckers participated. RESULTS: Respondents were mainly full-time, long-haul drivers with over 5 years of experience, and who spent over 17 days on the road per month. While almost 75% described their health as good, 83.4% were overweight/obese, 57.9% had sleeping disturbances, 56.3% fatigue, 42.3% musculoskeletal disorders, and about 40% cardiovascular disease concerns. About 33% had no health insurance, 70% had no regular healthcare visits, 24.4% could not afford insurance, and 42.1% took over-the-counter drugs when sick, while 20.1% waited to reach home for medical care. Exercise facilities were unavailable in over 70% of trucking worksites and 70% of drivers did not exercise regularly. CONCLUSIONS: The trucking occupation places drivers at high risk for poor health outcomes. Prospective studies are needed to delve into how continued exposure to trucking influences the progression of disease burden.
There are over 3 million truck drivers employed in the commercial transportation and material moving occupations, one of the largest occupational groups in the United States. Workers in this large and growing occupational segment are at risk for a range of occupational health-induced conditions, including mental health and psychiatric disorders due to high occupational stress, low access and use of health care, and limited social support. The purpose of this study was to explore male truck drivers' mental health risks and associated comorbidities, using a cross-sectional and quantitative design. Data were collected from a random sample of 316 male truckers between the ages of 23 and 76 at a large truck stop located within a 100-mile radius of Greensboro, North Carolina, USA, using a self-administered 82-item questionnaire. Surveyed truckers were found to have significant issues affecting their mental health, such as loneliness (27.9%), depression (26.9%), chronic sleep disturbances (20.6%), anxiety (14.5%), and other emotional problems (13%). Findings have potential to help researchers develop interventions to improve the emotional and occupational health of truck drivers, a highly underserved population. Mental health promotion, assessment, and treatment must become a priority to improve the overall trucking environment for truckers, the transportation industry, and safety on US highways.
Parent training (PT) programs for parents of preschool-aged children promote effective parenting practices and reduce the risk for the development of child behavior problems. Digital platforms and self-administered formats can expand access to preventive PT and complement traditional behavioral services. Primary care provides an ideal environment to refer patients to prevention-focused PT; however, effective integration of a referral process requires an understanding of implementation facilitators and barriers. The current study is a secondary analysis of facilitators and barriers to the implementation of a referral to ezParent, a self-administered, digital PT program, in four primary care clinics from the perspective of clinic personnel. Method: Personnel from participating clinics took part in semistructured group interviews to share their experiences of referral to ezParent. Researchers extracted themes using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research. Results: Clinic personnel support preventive PT, but time, workflow, and organizational barriers impede consistent referral implementation. Conclusions: The authors discuss recommendations for harnessing facilitators for referring primary care patients to digital PT using the strengths of multidisciplinary clinical teams and organizational structures. Implications for Impact StatementPrimary care providers (PCPs) and staff in primary health care clinics support self-administered, digital parent training (PT) as a preventive resource; however, they struggle to integrate program referrals into well-child visits. PCP and staff recommendations have implications for ways in which psychologists and other mental health specialists can support successful preventive referrals to selfadministered, digital PT resources.
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