Sleep habits, sleepiness and accidents among truck drivers

• Autor(a) principal: Souza,José Carlos
• Data de Publicação: 2005
• Outros Autores: Paiva,Teresa, Reimão,Rubens
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Arquivos de neuro-psiquiatria (Online)
• Texto Completo: http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0004-282X2005000600004
• topic: sleep; sleep habits; sleepiness; transit accidents; truck drivers

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the quality of sleep, shift work, alcohol and psychostimulant drug use, and the prevalence of accidents among truck drivers. METHOD: Data were collected using a demographic questionnaire, the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) and the Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI). Statistical analysis was conducted using the Student t, chi-square, Pearson and Fisher tests. RESULTS: 43.2% of the drivers drove over 16 h a day, and 2.9% worked shifts. Mean number of sleep hours/day was 5.97±1.47; 23.8% slept <5 hours; 50.9% made use of alcohol, 95.6% of caffeine, and 11.1% of amphetamines. Mean PSQI was 4.95±2.56; 35.4% had a PSQI >5; 23 subjects snored more than three times a week (11.1%). Mean ESS was 6.56±4.2; 21.7% had a score >10. In the preceding five years, 27 drivers (13.1%) were involved in accidents, 5 of which resulted in injuries and 3 in deaths. CONCLUSION: Results showed a high prevalence of sleep disorders, use of alcohol and psychostimulant drugs, and accidents.