Sleep habits, daytime sleepiness and working conditions in short-distance bus drivers

Abstract

Purpose – Driving needs high levels of alertness. Increased somnolence is the most important negative influence to maintain proper watchfulness and vigilance. Drowsiness, working conditions and their affective impact must be taken into account to determine driving safety. The purpose of this paper is to assess excessive daytime sleepiness, sleep habits, quality of sleep, stress-related symptoms, and working conditions in a large sample of short-distance bus drivers in the city of Buenos Aires. Design/methodology/approach – This was a cross-sectional study performed to evaluate sleep habits and obstructive apnea risk in short-distance bus drivers of the Metropolitan Area of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Questionnaires regarding anthropometric data, sleep habits, snoring, daytime sleepiness (Epworth Sleepiness Scale), quality of sleep (Pittsburgh Quality of Sleep Index, PQSI), working conditions and fatigue and anxiety related to work were administered to professional short-distance bus drivers (n=1023). Findings – A prevalence of 34.6 percent of obesity and 80 percent of snoring was observed. Mean sleep time during workdays was 6.5±0.1 h and bad sleep quality was reported by 54.6 percent of the subjects. Excessive daytime sleepiness had a prevalence of 48.8 percent and was independently associated with reduced sleep time, increased sleep debt, long time to wake up, snoring, and short resting time along the working day (p<0.05). Originality/value – Short-distance drivers in Buenos Aires, the largest urban area of Argentina, are a partially sleep-deprived, overweighted population, showing a high daytime somnolence, poor work-rest conditions and high levels of anxiety and fatigue. This association can be very harmful in view of the demanding working conditions considered.

Fatores associados à obesidade em rodoviários da Região Metropolitana de Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brasil

“…Finally, our findings show the relevance of preventive actions aimed at problems frequently identified in this occupational group, as evidenced by studies that found an association between obesity and sleep disturbance index 45 , occurrence of traffic accidents and sleepiness while driving 14 , systemic arterial hypertension 15,21,[46][47][48] , hyperglycemia 15 , increased levels of lead in the blood 49 , insomnia and sleep apnea 50,51 , and musculoskeletal symptoms 12 .…”

“…Although the proportion of obesity reported was one of the lowest among investigations carried out with urban collective transportation workers nationally or internationally, the numbers are worrisome as we conclude that the sample refers to subjects who are formally employed and educated, characteristics that make individuals less vulnerable to chronic diseases in general 21 . However, it is also likely that younger age groups in the sample, when compared to the target populations of other authors 9,[11][12][13][14][17][18][19][20][21][22] , explain the divergence of results, with advantages for the sample of the present study.…”

“…To our knowledge, only one study in Brazil 18 and two other international studies 9,10 had similar objectives and target audiences. It is worth mentioning, however, the investigations on prevalence of obesity, whose results, although addressed in the description of the general characteristics of the sample, did not stem from specific problems in the field of study of healthwork relation 7,8,[11][12][13][14][15][16][17][19][20][21][22]25 .…”

“…Initially, a convergence with frequencies reported in studies conducted in Brazil 16 , Poland 15 and Italy 10 is highlighted. However, unequal results have been found, with prevalence in urban collective transportation workers of the metropolitan region of Belo Horizonte being higher than that found in Taiwan 7 and lower than those identified in other countries or regions of Brazil 9,[11][12][13][14][17][18][19][20][21][22] .…”

“…First, the prevalence of obesity among urban collective transportation workers has been reported high both by international studies (mean 32%, ranging between 9.6 and 57%) [7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15] and national studies (mean of 24%, ranging from 17.3 to 24.7%) [16][17][18][19][20][21][22] . Secondly, although the influence of work environment and process on the occurrence of obesity is well documented 9,10,18,20,23 , the theme has not yet been sufficiently explored when it comes to urban collective transportation workers.…”