Published: 14 September 2018
NIHR-funded researchers who developed a programme to help truck drivers lead healthier lives have been shortlisted for an NHS innovation award.
Researchers from Loughborough University, the University of Leicester and Leicester’s Hospitals are in the running for a Medipex NHS Innovation Award for their Structured Health Intervention For Truckers (SHIFT) initiative.
Long distance lorry drivers are exposed to a multitude of health risks associated with their jobs, including long and variable working hours and long periods of sitting. Tight schedules and being on the road can contribute to psychological stress and sleep deprivation.
Their working environment provides limited opportunities for a healthy lifestyle. As a consequence, lorry drivers exhibit higher than average rates of obesity, obesity-related co-morbidities such as diabetes and high blood pressure, and have a significantly reduced life expectancy in comparison to other occupational groups.
The SHIFT Programme aims to promote positive behavioural changes in terms of increased physical activity and a healthier diet among truck drivers.
Drivers taking part in the programme attend a six-hour, interactive education session about healthy eating and physical activity, and are provided with physical activity monitors to track their movement and engage in step count challenges with other drivers. They are also given exercise equipment and a workout routine that can be used in their cabs at service stations and other resting places.
The researchers, led by Dr Stacy Clemes at Loughborough University, in partnership with researchers from the University of Leicester and University of York, have teamed up with logistics company DHL to test the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the programme in a study funded by the NIHR’s Public Health Research (PHR) Programme and supported by the NIHR Leicester Biomedical Research Centre.
The average age of HGV drivers is 53 and previous research by the same team indicates that 84 percent of HGV drivers were overweight or obese compared to 75 percent of men the same age nationally. In this study, drivers reported working an average of 48 hours each week.
The awards seek to identify and celebrate the innovative ideas, people and projects that benefit the NHS.
SHIFT has been shortlisted in the self-management category, highlighting projects that promote healthy lifestyles, increase access to and understanding of key disease indicators, provide educational materials and improve remote access for patients.
Vicki Johnson, a research associate in the Leicester Diabetes Centre at Leicester’s Hospitals, led the application. She is thrilled the project is shortlisted and added: “It’s such an innovative and exciting project that could make such a difference to lorry drivers’ lives. The team has worked very hard in developing SHIFT, getting transport companies and drivers involved and delivering the intervention, so to be shortlisted for this award is very rewarding for all involved.”
The awards ceremony takes place in Oulton Hall, Leeds, on Thursday 4 October, 2018, where winners will receive a £2,000 prize to further develop their project.