The physical and mental health of Australian truck drivers: a national cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background The negative health consequences of truck driving are well documented. However, despite the distinct occupational challenges between long- and short-haul driving, limited research has been conducted on how the health profile of these drivers differ. The aims of this study were to characterise the physical and mental health of Australian truck drivers overall, and to identify any differences in factors influencing the health profile of long-haul compared to short-haul drivers. Design, setting, and participants In this cross-sectional study, 1390 Australian truck drivers completed an online survey between August 2019 and May 2020. Questions included validated measures of psychological distress, general health, work ability and health-related quality-of-life. Participants driving 500 km or more per day were categorised as long-haul and those driving less than 500 km as short-haul. Results The majority of survey respondents were classified as either overweight (25.2%) or obese (54.3%). Three in ten reported three or more chronic health conditions (29.5%) and poor general health (29.9%). The most commonly diagnosed conditions were back problems (34.5%), high blood pressure (25.8%) and mental health problems (19.4%). Chronic pain was reported by 44% of drivers. Half of drivers reported low levels of psychological distress (50.0%), whereas 13.3 and 36.7% experienced severe or moderate level of psychological distress respectively. There were a small number of differences between the health of long- and short-haul drivers. A higher proportion of short-haul drivers reported severe psychological distress compared to long-haul drivers (15.2% vs 10.4%, χ2 = 8.8, 0.012). Long-haul drivers were more likely to be obese (63.0% vs 50.9%, χ2 = 19.8, < 0.001) and report pain lasting over a year (40.0% vs 31.5%, χ2 = 12.3, 0.006). Having more than one diagnosed chronic condition was associated with poor mental and physical health outcomes in both long- and short-haul drivers. Conclusion Australian truck drivers report a high prevalence of multiple physical and mental health problems. Strategies focused on improving diet, exercise and preventing chronic conditions and psychological distress, that can also be implemented within the unique occupational environment of trucking are needed to help improve driver health. Further research is needed to explore risk and protective factors that specifically affect health in both short-haul and long-haul drivers.

Sleep, mental health, and access to health care of women truck drivers

“…Findings from this study of women truck drivers are consistent with those of other authors who concluded that although truck drivers experience isolation (Johnson et al, 2021) and mental health issues (Crizzle et al, 2020; Shattell et al, 2010; van Vreden et al, 2022), they may not seek professional help for assistance with these problems. In this particular sample, a majority of participants had health insurance.…”

Impact of work and coping factors on mental health: Australian truck drivers’ perspective

“…We also know that truck drivers tend to downplay their health risks and that there are environmental and attitudinal barriers preventing them from following through with their intentions to make lifestyle changes [ 22 , 57 ]. Previous literature has also highlighted that the risk factor sub-themes identified in this study can lead to varied medical conditions, increased crashes, and poor mental health and need to be mitigated where possible [ 4 , 28 , 54 ]. These risks are also echoed across other occupational groups and pose ongoing challenges for creating effective interventions to reduce years of time lost, lost productivity and future health costs for treating mental ill-health [ 14 , 25 ].…”

“…Surveys conducted with Australian truck drivers as part of the Driving Health Project [ 26 – 28 ] have shown that additional domains beyond occupational factors, (i.e., lifestyle and personal factors), do indeed influence driver physical and mental health, however, we are unsure of the impact of these factors from the driver’s perspective and this study contributes to this body of knowledge.…”

Association between psychological symptoms and illegal driving behaviors in a sample of Chinese private car drivers

“…The China Statistical Yearbook showed that the total number of traffic accidents in 2020 was 2,44, 674, with 61,703 people killed, 2,50,723 injured, and 1.31 billion RMB in direct property losses. In recent years, studies on the prevalence of psychological symptoms and associated correlators in motor vehicle drivers received some coverage ( 4 , 5 ). For example, it is reported that occupational strain, neuroticism, and psychological symptoms are all positively correlated in metro drivers ( 6 ).…”