Investigating obesity among professional drivers: the high risk professional driver study.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study is to detect the main individual and transportation factors associated with obesity and its prevalence among Italian professional drivers (PDs).

METHODS

We performed a cross-sectional questionnaire survey. Data from PDs (n = 497) were used for analyses.

RESULTS

Sixty-one percent of participants were either overweight or obese according to their body mass index. Predictive factors for obesity were traveling more than 40,000 miles per year (odds ratio [OR] 4.20, confidence interval [CI] 1.41-12.56) and hours spent behind the wheel per day (OR 1.27, CI 1.02-1.58). Bus drivers had half the risk of being obese compared to truck drivers (OR 0.45, CI 0.23-0.87). An inverse association was detected between educational attainment and obesity (OR 0.32, CI 0.11-0.90).

CONCLUSIONS

PDs with high number of driving hours per day, miles driven per year, and low educational level should be subject to special educational programs to reduce and prevent obesity.