TORONTO — You’d have to be a recent immigrant from another galaxy to not know that the long-distance-trucker lifestyle has been linked to health problems. We’re talking obesity, high blood pressure, fatigue and unhealthy stress levels. That’s what comes of sitting for long periods, getting little or no exercise, eating greasy foods and working wonky hours.

But what might come as a surprise is that drivers are well aware of these problems and –given half a chance — they would better care of themselves, even to the point of participating in workplace health programs.
Contrary to what many people think, drivers are a health-conscious group. They just need opportunities to prove it.

That, in essence, is what a recently completed three-month-long research project proves. The research was conducted by a group of seven third-year students in the unique University of New Brunswick -Humber College Collaborative Bachelor of Nursing Program.

The drivers being studied were working out of the Toronto headquarters of Thomson Terminals.

Using the slogan “The Heart is the Engine of the Body: Keep it Running Smoothly’, the students paired up with Thomson and after three months, presented a specially designed one-day driver-health program, which took place on November, 23 at Thomson’s offices.

Cindy Hunt, Associate Dean of the nursing school, stated: “the partnership between Humber and Thomson has created a new link for the UNB-Humber Bachelor of Nursing students. The nursing students and the truck driving community worked together to promote health on the road. Humber is looking forward to continuing this partnership with Thomson.”

Added Tom Mead, of Thomson’s safety and compliance office: “This was a great experience for our drivers and for management. I was amazed at the amount of interest and the turnout. We realize how important it is to have healthy drivers and staff, and hope to make this a regular event.”

To get a handle on the drivers’ health awareness, the students first studied previous research and interviewed drivers, HR managers, driver trainers, truck-magazine editors, and truck-stop personnel. The students concluded that drivers are vulnerable to health-related problems due to the lack of healthcare services available on the road, unhealthy food choices at restaurants, the inaccessibility to gyms, and unhealthy coping skills such as smoking.

For the workshop, the students planned a program of health promotion and disease prevention with the central focus being eating healthy, being active and living smoke-free. The students then took blood-pressure measurements and did health counseling including teaching healthy food choices and on-the-road exercise tips. The truck drivers were offered a complimentary healthy snack pack as a sample of healthy food choices.

According to a statement released after the study was completed, the students were surprised with the number of truck drivers participating in the workshop. The drivers were enthusiastic about getting their blood pressure checked and interpreting the results.

Diane Betts, UNB-Humber teacher noted; “the students did a tremendous job identifying the health needs of the drivers, and developing a suitable program for them.”

To conclude the presentation, the Nursing students recommended truck drivers “keep their engines running smoothly by being active, living smoke free and eating healthy foods”.

The students involved in the program are Flora Biinna, Chryseis Martin, Beth Parchment, Dayana Perez, Kamar Rogers, Sopath Rouss and Norma Thwaites. The professor overseeing the project was Diane Betts.