Excessive Sleepiness Prevalence in Public Transportation Drivers of a Developing Country
Document Type
Journal Article
Publication Date
2013
Subject Area
place - south america, mode - bus, mode - other
Keywords
prevalence, disorders of excessive somnolence, motor vehicles, traffic crashes, South America, Peru
Abstract
Objective: To determine the prevalence of excessive sleepiness (ES) in bus and auto-rickshaw drivers from Lima, Peru.
Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of Lima's bus and auto-rickshaw drivers to estimate ES prevalence in this population. Survey sites were private transportation companies, systematically selected with a snowball approach. ES was assessed with the Spanish-validated version of the Epworth sleep questionnaire (ESQ) with a cutoff score >10. We obtained relevant demographic information.
Results: Four hundred and thirty-four bus and auto-rickshaw drivers were eligible for analysis. The overall ES prevalence was 32.7 percent (95% confidence interval [CI]: 28–37.2). ES prevalence was higher in bus drivers than in auto-rickshaw drivers, 38 percent (95% CI: 31.7–44.2) and 26.9 percent (95% CI: 20.6–33.1), respectively (P = .01). We used data from all subjects to obtain regression equations for ESQ score with several predictors. Being a bus driver, working additional nighttime hours per week, having depression or anxiety, and alcohol abuse had small but significant associations with ESQ scores.
Conclusion: ES prevalence in Lima's public transportation drivers is in a medium range as suggested by previous regional studies.
Rights
Permission to publish the abstract has been given by Taylor&Francis, copyright remains with them.
Recommended Citation
Risco, J., Ruiz, P., Mariños, A., Juarez, A., Ramos, M., Salmavides, F., Vega, J., Kruger, H., & Vizcarra, D. (2013). Excessive Sleepiness Prevalence in Public Transportation Drivers of a Developing Country. Traffic Injury Prevention, Vol. 14, (2), pp. 145-149.
