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

Objective: This 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.

Design: Systematic review reported using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines.

Data Sources: PubMed, Scopus, PsycINFO and Web of Science were searched in January 2019 and updated in January 2020, from the date of inception until 16th January 2020.

Eligibility Criteria for Selecting Studies: Papers were included if they were 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) written in English and 4) published in a peer-reviewed journal. Grey literature was ineligible for this review.

Data Extraction and Synthesis: One 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.

Results: 3,601 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, hypercholesterolemia, high blood glucose, poor mental health, and cigarette smoking.

Conclusions: Improving 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.