Hematocrit levels as cardiovascular risk among taxi drivers in Bangkok, Thailand

Abstract

In Thailand, taxi drivers employed in the informal sector often experience hazardous working conditions. Previous studies revealed that elevated Hematocrit (HCT) is a predictor of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. This study assessed factors associated with HCT in taxi drivers to predict their occupational CVD risk factors. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 298 male taxi drivers who joined a health check-up campaign in Bangkok, Thailand. HCT and body mass index were retrieved from participant health check-up files. Self-administered questionnaires assessed demographics, driving mileage, working hours, and lifestyle. Statistical associations were analyzed using stepwise linear regression. Our results showed that obesity (p=0.007), daily alcohol drinking (p=0.003), and current or past smoking (p=0.016) were associated with higher HCT levels. While working hours were not directly associated with HCT levels in the current study, the effect on overworking is statistically arguable because most participants worked substantially longer hours. Our findings suggest that taxi drivers’ CVD risk may be increased by their unhealthy work styles. Initiatives to improve general working conditions for taxi drivers should take into account health promotion and CVD prevention. The policy of providing periodic health check-ups is important to make workers in the informal sector aware of their health status.

How does informal employment affect health and health equity? Emerging gaps in research from a scoping review and modified e-Delphi survey

“…Of the 36 micro-level research studies, the majority were studies conducted in LMICs (29, 80.6%). Diverse types of informal workers were studied in LMICs, including waste workers [ 16 – 21 ], trash pickers [ 22 ], clay artisans [ 23 ], taxi drivers [ 24 ], artisanal and small-scale gold miners [ 25 ], informal commerce workers [ 26 ], female beer promoters [ 27 ], domestic workers [ 28 ], informal fisheries [ 29 ], and informal workers in the construction and manufacturing industry [ 30 – 37 ]. The remaining micro-level studies were conducted in LMICs [ 38 – 43 ] and HIC contexts [ 9 ], rather than focusing on a specific type of informal workers, and analyzed survey data or injury reports to examine the difference in health outcomes between workers in informal and formal employment.…”

Relationships between Body Mass Index and Self-Reported Motorcycle Crashes in Vietnam

“…The proportions of overweight and obesity among motorcycle taxi drivers in Hanoi were also lower than those among car taxi drivers in Thailand and Taiwan. It was reported that 53.9% of car taxi drivers in Thailand were obese [43], and 35% of car taxi drivers in Taiwan were overweight and 24% were obese [44]. This could be partly attributed to the higher prevalence of overweight and obesity among adults in Thailand and Taiwan when compared to Vietnam [42].…”

Deep-Learning-Based Prediction of High-Risk Taxi Drivers Using Wellness Data

“…Considered Factors Hagl and Kouabenan [16] Staubach et al [17] Needs for advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) Li et al [18] Working hours/Time spent on personal affairs/Fatigue level Meng et al [15] Fatigue level Wang et al [9] Level of job satisfaction Wang et al [9] Ba et al [19] Frequency of safety education by the company Vahedi et al [20] Working hours per week/Level of living satisfaction/Age Ishimaru et al [21] Drinking frequency Bulduk et al [22] Usual fatigue level/Age Lim et al [23] Amount of sleeping time…”