Monash University Accident Research Centre, Monash University, 21 Alliance Lane, VIC, 3800, Australia.
Queensland University of Technology, School of Psychology and Counselling, VIC, Australia.
BMC Public Health. 2022 Sep 5;22(1):1683. doi: 10.1186/s12889-022-13885-4.
Truck drivers are a vulnerable population due to the high number of workplace injuries and fatalities predominant in their occupation. In Australia, the road freight transportation industry has been identified as a national priority area in terms of creating preventative measures to improve the health and safety of its workers. With an environment conducive to poor nutritional food choices and unhealthy lifestyle behaviours, many barriers exist to creating a safe and healthy workforce. Thus, the current study aimed to describe the pre-injury hospital-recorded health conditions and health service use of truck drivers with a worker's injury compensation claim/s when compared to workers in other industries. Data was obtained from a compensation claims database and linked with hospital admissions data recorded five years prior to the injury claim. Health and lifestyle behaviour data for the occupational code of truck drivers was compared to other occupational drivers, as well as to all other occupations. Analysis was conducted via logistic regression. The results found that when compared to other occupational drivers, truck drivers were significantly more likely to have a hospital-recorded diagnosis of diabetes and/or hypertension, as well as being significantly more likely to have a hospital record of tobacco use and/or alcohol misuse/abuse. The findings show that there is a need to review and revise existing health strategies to promote the health and wellbeing of truck drivers, especially given their challenging work environment.
卡车司机是一个脆弱的群体，因为他们的职业中有大量的工作场所受伤和死亡。在澳大利亚，道路货运运输业已被确定为一个国家优先领域，以制定预防措施来改善其工人的健康和安全。由于环境有利于不良的营养食品选择和不健康的生活方式行为，因此存在许多障碍来创建安全和健康的劳动力。因此，本研究旨在描述与其他行业的工人相比，有工人赔偿索赔的卡车司机在受伤前的医院记录健康状况和卫生服务使用情况。数据来自赔偿索赔数据库，并与受伤索赔前五年记录的住院数据相关联。卡车司机职业代码的健康和生活方式行为数据与其他职业司机以及所有其他职业进行了比较。分析通过逻辑回归进行。结果发现，与其他职业司机相比，卡车司机更有可能在医院记录有糖尿病和/或高血压的诊断，并且更有可能在医院记录有吸烟和/或酒精滥用/滥用的情况。研究结果表明，有必要审查和修改现有的健康策略，以促进卡车司机的健康和福祉，特别是考虑到他们具有挑战性的工作环境。
