According to Dr Marguerite Sendall from Queensland University of Technology's School of Public Health, a survey of 231 truck drivers aged between 20 and 71 discovered around two-thirds of them are classified as obese, compared to one-third of the Australian population. She said the reason for the high level of obesity was that truck driver work generally consists of long sedentary hours, erratic schedules and tight deadlines along with limited access to healthy food options and physical activity.
As a consequence, they are at a far greater risk of life-threatening conditions like cardiovascular disease, diabetes and some cancers. Dr Sendall said the research demonstrates a need for industry-wide adoption of workplace health promotion. It backs up a Monash University-led Driving Health Study published in 2018 which revealed truck drivers had a 13 fold higher risk of dying at work than other Australian workers, making it among the most dangerous occupations in the country.
It found truck driving was a job with many health risks: long working hours, lots of sitting, poor nutrition, social isolation, shift work, time pressure, elevated risk of chronic disease and musculoskeletal conditions, low levels of job control, and a high risk of road crashes. Further to this, a study undertaken by the University of South Australia has found that food intake affects fatigue management and that a simple snack was the best choice for maximising alertness and productivity.
Same problem in the USA
According to an article in the American Trucker Magazine, the same problem exists in the USA.
The article recommends drivers, when they’re hungry, get the lightest grilled chicken sandwich possible without fries. Furthermore, eating in a hurry is a risk because eating too fast, according to a specialist, doesn’t allow your stomach time to send a message to the brain that it's full, so you end up eating more. A recommendation is to drink water with your meal (even if you're drinking something else) in greater quantities than you typically would. It seems that taking in more water helps by making you feel more full.
