scholarly journals Health and working conditions of truck drivers in Brazil

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 1036
Author(s):  
Nellis Oliveira Santos ◽  
Luiz Teruo Kawamoto Junior ◽  
Hewely Cardoso ◽  
Luci Mendes de Melo Bonini

This paper intends to describe the public health policies and labor conditions of road haulage drivers. In order to give a brief overview of these policies, it describes some research results, some indicators pointing to a loss of quality of life of these workers by virtue of their habits, their physical conditions and labor laws. Finally, the path indicates some points traced by national policies that seek to preserve the quality of life of these workers. The method used was literature review found in scientific bases, pointing data that guide the discussions. Due to the necessity of road transport in Brazil, truck drivers suffer poor working conditions to meet the high demand for their services. Seeing that the road haulage driver is directly involved in the delivery and flow of Brazil's logistical process of deliveries from the raw materials to the final product to the consumer, public policies are urgently needed to adjust and improve all the working and physical conditions to this class of workers in accordance with law 13.103/2015. High rates of traffic accidents with truck drivers were recorded, however, conditions for good sleep do not favour truck drivers, destabilising their physical condition, and classifying these professionals as sedentary because of negative health habits.

2017 ◽  
Vol 51 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fernanda Veruska Narciso ◽  
Marco Túlio de Mello

ABSTRACT Traffic accidents and resulting injuries and deaths have become a global epidemic. In Brazil, most professional drivers, especially truck drivers, face irregular working hours and can be awake for more than 18 hours/day, which reduces their performance and alertness. In this article, we discuss the laws related to Brazilian professional drivers and their current amendments (No. 12,619/2012 and No. 13,103/2015) in relation to working hours at the wheel and rest breaks, which are vital for the quality of life of drivers and society in general. We note that the new law appears to be less efficient than the previous one as it causes insecurity and concern to the users of the transportation system, drivers, and employers. To restrict and reduce accidents, deaths, and injuries in traffic, appropriate legislation is essential, aiming at the safety of workers and users of highways. The law must also benefit the commercial aspect, strengthening the reduction in production and logistics losses. Additionally, traffic education programs are needed, as well as better supervision in relation to total working hours.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hiran Thabrew ◽  
Karolina Stasiak ◽  
Harshali Kumar ◽  
Tarique Naseem ◽  
Christopher Frampton ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND Approximately 10% to 12% of New Zealand children and young people have long-term physical conditions (also known as chronic illnesses) and are more likely to develop psychological problems, particularly anxiety and depression. Delayed treatment leads to worse physical and mental healthcare, school absence, and poorer long-term outcomes. Recently, electronic health (eHealth) interventions, especially those based on the principles of Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), have been shown to be as good as face-to-face therapy. Biofeedback techniques have also been shown to enhance relaxation during the treatment of anxiety. However, these modalities have rarely been combined. Young people with long-term physical conditions have expressed a preference for well-designed and technologically-based support to deal with psychological issues, especially anxiety. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to co-design and evaluate the (i) acceptability and (ii) usability of a CBT and biofeedback-based, 5-module eHealth game called ‘Starship Rescue’ and (iii) to provide preliminary evidence regarding its effectiveness in addressing anxiety and quality of life in young people with long-term physical conditions. METHODS Starship Rescue was co-designed with children and young people from a tertiary hospital in Auckland, New Zealand. Following this, 24 young people aged 10 to 17 years were enrolled in an open trial, during which they were asked to use the game for an 8-week period. Acceptability of the game to all participants was assessed using a brief, open-ended questionnaire, and more detailed feedback was obtained from a subset of 10 participants via semi-structured interviews. Usability was evaluated via the System Usability Scale (SUS) and device-recorded frequency and duration of access on completion of the game. Anxiety levels were measured prior to commencement, on completion of the game, and 3 months later using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale (GAD-7) and Spence Child Anxiety Scales (SCAS), and at the start of each module and at the end of the game using an embedded Likert/visual analog scale. Quality of life was measured prior to commencement and on completion of the game using the Pediatric Quality of Life Scale (PEDS-QL). RESULTS Users gave Starship Rescue an overall rating of 5.9 out of 10 (range 3-10 and a mean score of 71 out of 100 (SD 11.7; min 47.5; max 90) on the System Usability Scale (SUS). The mean time period for use of the game was just over 11-weeks (78.8 days, 13.5 hours, 40 minutes). Significant reductions in anxiety were noted between the start and end of the game on the GAD-7 (-4.6 (p=0.000)), SCAS (-9.6 (p=0.005)), and the Likert/visual analogue scales (-2.4 (p=0.001)). Quality of life also improved on the PedsQL scale (+4.3 (p=0.042)). All changes were sustained at 3-month follow-up. CONCLUSIONS This study provides preliminary evidence for Starship Rescue being an acceptable, usable and effective eHealth intervention for addressing anxiety in young people with long-term physical conditions. Further evaluation is planned via a more formal randomized controlled trial. CLINICALTRIAL Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Network Registry (ANZCTR): ACTRN12616001253493p;https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=371443 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6sYB716lf)


Author(s):  
Sebastjan Škerlič ◽  
Vanja Erčulj

The goal of the research is to determine how compensation affects the safety behavior of truck drivers and consequently the frequency of traffic accidents. For this purpose, a survey was conducted on a sample of 220 truck drivers in international road transport in the EU, where the results of the Structural Equation Model (SEM) show that in the current state of the transport sector, financial and non-financial incentives have a positive impact on the work and safety behavior of drivers. Financial incentives also have an impact on drivers’ increased perception of their driving ability, while moving violations continue to have a major impact on the number of accidents. The proposed improvements enable decision-makers at the highest level to adopt legal solutions to help manage the issues that have been affecting the industry from a work, social and safety point of view for the past several years. The results of the research therefore represent an important guideline for improvements to the legislature as well as in the systematization of truck driver compensation within companies.


2000 ◽  
Vol 14 (8) ◽  
pp. 693-699 ◽  
Author(s):  
J Rodés ◽  
M Navasa

To date, more than 50,000 liver transplantations have been performed around the world; the survival rate five years after transplantation ranges from 60% to 65%. One of the fundamental objectives for liver transplantation teams is to achieve the best possible quality of life (QOL) for the patients. A concise analysis of the methodology used (15 questionnaires) to measure QOL of patients with liver transplants is described. The authors suggest that now is the time to establish a database so that a validated instrument will be available to compare QOL results from all the liver transplantation programs. Liver transplantation is believed to improve QOL, although there are several problems with some of the papers published on this subject. Some studies are retrospective, whereas in others, patients in bad physical conditions are excluded from the study; in quite a few prospective studies, deaths are not included in the data analysis. Finally, the authors provide a brief, concise analysis of late complications and of recurrence of the disease after liver transplantation, which influence QOL.


Author(s):  
EI Shubochkina ◽  
EG Blinova

Introduction: Current vocational secondary education (VSE) in Russia is characterized by a focus on practical training (as part of dual training) aimed at improving professional competencies of graduates. It also demonstrates negative trends in adolescent health, which requires optimization and development of specific algorithms of medical support for students aged 14–22 years and older appropriate to their academic and practical workload. Objective: To assess adaptation of college students to learning conditions, depending on their health status, and to substantiate ways of improving their health care. Material and methods: We retrieved and analyzed information from the database of multicenter studies conducted within the unified program of the National Medical Research Center for Children’s Health of the Russian Ministry of Health. Our sample included 197 first- and second-year college boys from the cities of Omsk and Moscow studying to become welders and auto mechanics. The quality of life, health and well-being indicators were evaluated according to the International Medical Outcomes Study 36-item short-form (MOS SF-36). The students were divided into subgroups based on their health status. The statistical processing complied with modern requirements and criteria of evidence-based medicine. Results: We established that vocational schools admitted a significant number of applicants with the above specialty preferences suffering from chronic diseases (21.1–26 %). Results of the questionnaire-based survey of future welders and car mechanics revealed difficulties in adaptation to the educational process of the students with chronic disorders expressed by lower quality of life indicators, frequent health complaints and feelings of fatigue, especially in second-year students who experience an increasing academic and practical workload. Conclusions: Students with chronic diseases mastering professions with hazardous working conditions represent population at risk, require health monitoring, determination of professional suitability, and control over the working conditions in industrial practice. The importance of protecting health of future professionals is determined by implementation of practice-based training in 42 % of vocational schools. Models of school medicine proposed to optimize health care in comprehensive schools can be adapted to conditions of secondary vocational facilities. Foreign studies have proved feasibility of an early onset of work-related diseases in certain occupations, even before completion of training, thus necessitating vocational guidance, professional medical advice, and development of an effective system of medical support for adolescents and students.


2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Loretta G. Platts ◽  
Gopalakrishnan Netuveli ◽  
Elizabeth Webb ◽  
Marie Zins ◽  
Marcel Goldberg ◽  
...  

Objective: To investigate variations in quality of life at older ages, we take a life course perspective to analyse long-term effects of physical working conditions upon quality of life after retirement. In doing so, we study to what extent these associations are explained by individuals’ health at older ages. Method: We use administrative data and self-administered questionnaire responses from the French GAZEL cohort. Quality of life was assessed with CASP-19 in 2009 and related to three types of physical working conditions during previous working life: (1) ergonomic strain, (2) physical danger and (3) exposures to chemicals. Health was assessed in 2007 with the SF-36 Health Survey. Multiple regressions were calculated in retired men only, controlling for important confounders including social position. Results: In contrast to men, few women were exposed to strenuous and dangerous working conditions in this cohort and were not included in subsequent analyses. Negative effects on retired men's quality of life were found for the physical occupational exposures of ergonomic strain and physical danger, but not for chemical exposures. Effects were attenuated after the introduction of physical and mental health to the models, indicating an indirect effect of physical working conditions upon quality of life via health. Conclusion: Adverse physical working conditions have long-term consequences for health and quality of life at older ages. Improvements to physical working conditions may improve individuals’ quality of life over the long term.


2017 ◽  
Vol 33 (S1) ◽  
pp. 75-76
Author(s):  
Paul van Gils ◽  
Eelco Over ◽  
Anita Suijkerbuijk ◽  
Joran Lokkerbol ◽  
Ardine de Wit

INTRODUCTION:Due to their chronic nature and high prevalence, alcohol and cannabis addiction leads to a significant (disease) burden and high costs, both for those involved and for society. The latter includes effects on health care, quality of life, employment, criminality, education, social security, violence in the public and private domain, and traffic accidents. In the Netherlands, a considerable number of people with an alcohol or cannabis addiction currently do not receive addiction care. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is effective as a treatment for both alcohol and cannabis addiction and is widely used in specialized addiction care centers. This social cost-benefit analysis (SCBA) models costs and benefits of increasing the uptake of CBT for persons with an alcohol addiction and for adolescents with a cannabis addiction, taking into account a wide range of social costs and effects (1).METHODS:The method follows general Dutch guidance for performing SCBA. A literature search was conducted to evaluate efficacy of CBT for alcohol and cannabis dependence. In addition, the social costs of alcohol and cannabis addiction for society were mapped, and the costs of enhancing the uptake of CBT were explored. Costs and benefits of increased uptake of CBT for different social domains were modeled for a ten year period, and compared with current (unchanged) uptake during this period. Compliance problems (about 50 percent of clients do not finish CBT) and fall-back to addiction behavior (decrease of effects of CBT over time) were taken into account in model estimations.RESULTS:Per client treated with CBT, the estimated benefits to society are EUR10,000-14,000 and EUR9,700-13,000, for alcohol and cannabis addiction, respectively. These benefits result from reduced morbidity and mortality, improved quality of life, higher productivity, fewer traffic accidents, and fewer criminal activities.CONCLUSIONS:This SCBA shows that not only treated clients but also society will benefit from an increase in people treated with CBT in specialized addiction care centers.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document