scholarly journals Cardiometabolic risk factors and mental health status among truck drivers: a systematic review

BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. e038993
Author(s):  
Amber J Guest ◽  
Yu-Ling Chen ◽  
Natalie Pearson ◽  
James A King ◽  
Nicola J Paine ◽  
...  

ObjectiveThis study aimed to systematically review and summarise the literature on cardiometabolic risk factors, lifestyle health behaviours and mental health status of truck drivers globally to ascertain the scale of these health concerns.DesignSystematic review reported using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines.Data sourcesPubMed, Scopus, PsycINFO and Web of Science were searched in January 2019 and updated in January 2020, from the date of inception to 16 January 2020.Eligibility criteria for selecting studiesPapers were included if they (1) reported independent data on truck drivers, (2) included quantitative data on outcomes related to cardiometabolic markers of health, mental health and/or health behaviours, (3) were written in English and (4) were published in a peer-reviewed journal. Grey literature was ineligible for this review.Data extraction and synthesisOne reviewer independently extracted data and assessed methodological quality using a checklist based on the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute Quality Assessment tool. 20% were independently assessed for eligibility and quality by a second reviewer. Due to heterogeneity of the outcomes, results were narratively presented.Results3601 titles and abstracts were screened. Seventy-three studies met the inclusion criteria. Truck driving is associated with enforced sedentarism, long and irregular working hours, lack of healthy foods, social isolation and chronic time pressures. Strong evidence was observed for truck drivers to generally exhibit poor cardiometabolic risk profiles including overweight and obesity, hypertension, hypercholesterolaemia, high blood glucose, poor mental health and cigarette smoking.ConclusionsImproving truck driver health is vital for the longevity of the trucking industry, and for the safety of all road users. The workplace plays a vital role in truck driver health; policies, regulations and procedures are required to address this health crisis.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42019124499.

BMJ Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. e032025 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samanta Tresha Lalla-Edward ◽  
Alex Emilio Fischer ◽  
W D Francois Venter ◽  
Karine Scheuermaier ◽  
Ruchika Meel ◽  
...  

ObjectivesLifestyle and working conditions of truck drivers predisposes them to risk-factors associated with communicable and non-communicable diseases, but little is known about the health status of African truck driver. This study aims to assess a cross-section of truckers in South Africa to describe their health information.SettingThe study took place across three truck-stop rest areas in the South African provinces of Free State and Gauteng.ParticipantsEligibility criteria included being males aged 18 years and older, full-time employment as a long-distance truck driver. A total of 614 male truck drivers participated; 384 (63%) were Zimbabwean and 325 (55%) completed high-school.Primary and secondary outcome measuresThe trucker survey explored demographics; working conditions; sexual, eating and sleeping behaviours; mental health status, medical history and cardiac risk-factors. Medical assessments included physical measurements, glucose and lipid measurements, ECG, carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) and cardiac ultrasound.ResultsIn the previous month, 554 (91%) participants were sexually active; 522 (86%) had sex with a regular partner; 174 (27%) with a casual partner; 87 (14%) with a sex worker. Average time driving was 10 hours/day, 20 days/month, 302 (50%) never worked night shifts and 74 (12%) worked nights approximately four times per week. 112 (18%) experienced daytime sleepiness and 59 (10%) were ever hospitalised from an accident. Forty-seven (8%, 95% CI 5.3 to 9.5) were HIV-positive, with half taking antiretrovirals. Forty-eight (8%) truckers had some moderate depression, while 21 (4%) suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. Reported tuberculosis, myocardial infarction, and diabetes were <3%. Prominent cardiac risk-factors included smoking (n=63, 11%), consuming alcohol (>15 drinks/week) (n=54, 9%), overweight/obesity (n=417, 69%), and hypertension (n=220, 36%,95% CI 32.1 to 39.7). ECG results showed 23 (4.9%) and 29 (5.3%) drivers had left ventricular hypertrophy using the Cornell criterion and product, respectively. CIMT measurements indicated nine (4.2%) drivers had a carotid atherosclerotic plaque.ConclusionThis first holistic assessment of health among southern African male truck drivers demonstrates substantial addressable cardiovascular risk factors, mental health issues and sexual risk behaviours.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 ◽  
pp. 101148
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Pritchard ◽  
Caryn van Vreden ◽  
Ting Xia ◽  
Ross Iles

Circulation ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 141 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anshul Saxena ◽  
Muni Rubens ◽  
Venkataraghavan Ramamoorthy ◽  
Sankalp Das ◽  
Chintan B Bhatt ◽  
...  

Introduction: Cardiometabolic syndrome consists of a cluster of metabolic dysfunctions such as impaired glucose tolerance, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, central adiposity, and hypertension. According to the latest estimates, globally, nearly 25% of all adults have cardiometabolic syndrome. Both cardiometabolic syndrome and cancer pathophysiology commonly involve inflammation and oxidative stress. The objective of this systematic review was to evaluate existing evidences that support the association between cardiometabolic syndrome and risk of developing cancer. Methods: We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and Scopus for relevant articles published from the database inception until October 2019. We followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines for this review. Using the Oxford Center for Evidence-Based Medicine guidelines individual studies were evaluated. A total of 59 articles were included in this study. Results: Our review showed that cardiometabolic syndrome was associated with increased risk for colorectal, hepatic, endometrial, breast, and bladder cancers. These associations showed variations for sex and geographical locations. For example, the associations were stronger for pancreatic and rectal cancers among women. The strength of these associations was also stronger for sex specific cancers such as breast and endometrial cancers. Studies on European populations showed that these associations were stronger for colorectal cancer among women. However, one study showed that presence of cardiometabolic syndrome contributed protective effects to prostate cancer among American men. In general, strongest associations were found for colorectal cancer among both men and women and hepatic cancer among men. Among cardiometabolic factors, impaired glucose tolerance and central adiposity were the greatest contributors towards increased risk for cancers. Conclusion: Given these results, there should be greater focus on primary prevention to identify and treat cardiometabolic risk factors. In addition, patients with greater cardiometabolic risk factors should be screened earlier and more frequently for cancers. A number of gender and geographical gaps identified in this review could be targeted for improvements as per the goals of 2030 sustainable development initiatives. Future studies should consider cardiometabolic syndrome and cancer together and develop effective interventions for decreasing the incidence and morbidity associated with both the conditions.


2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (15) ◽  
pp. 2823-2834 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elnaz Daneshzad ◽  
Fahimeh Haghighatdoost ◽  
Leila Azadbakht

AbstractObjective:Dietary acid load (DAL) might contribute to change the levels of cardiometabolic risk factors; however, the results are conflicting. The present review was conducted to determine the relationship between DAL and cardiometabolic risk factors.Design:Systematic review and meta-analysis.Setting:A systematic search was conducted in electronic databases including ISI Web of Science, PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus and Google Scholar for observational studies which assessed cardiometabolic risk factors across DAL. Outcomes were lipid profile, glycaemic factors and anthropometric indices. Effect sizes were derived using a fixed- or random-effect model (DerSimonian–Laird). Also, subgroup analysis was performed to find the probable source of heterogeneity. Egger’s test was performed for finding any publication bias.Results:Thirty-one studies were included in the current review with overall sample size of 92 478. There was a significant relationship between systolic blood pressure (SBP; weighted mean difference (WMD) = 1·74 (95 % CI 0·25, 3·24) mmHg;P= 0·022;I2= 95·3 %), diastolic blood pressure (DBP; WMD = 0·75 (95 % CI 0·07, 1·42) mmHg;P= 0·030;I2= 80·8 %) and DAL in cross-sectional studies. Serum lipids, glycaemic parameters including fasting blood sugar, glycated Hb, serum insulin, homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance and waist circumference had no significant relationship with DAL. No publication bias was found. BMI was not associated with DAL in both cross-sectional and cohort studies.Conclusions:Higher DAL is associated with increased SBP and DBP. More studies are needed to find any relationship of DAL with lipid profile and glycaemic factors.


2020 ◽  
Vol 71 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-74 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen L. Fortuna ◽  
Peter R. DiMilia ◽  
Matthew C. Lohman ◽  
Brandi P. Cotton ◽  
Janet R. Cummings ◽  
...  

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