RESUMO
Background and Aim: Taxi drivers play a significant role in urban mobility and safety as professional drivers. They typically have poor incomes, long work hours, lack of sleep, and high levels of stress, which increase the risk of physical and mental illnesses. The goal of this study was to explore the relationship between sleep disorders and depression among Tabriz metropolis taxi drivers. Methods: Using the street intercept technique, a cross-sectional study was conducted with the participation of 402 taxi drivers in Tabriz during January and March 2020. Data collection tools included the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Patient Health Questionnaire as well as demographic information. Twenty taxi stops were used as sampling sites, and the method used was random sampling based on the number of drivers at each stop. Statistical analysis was performed using Stata 13. Results: The majority of drivers worked an average of 6 days each week, with a mean tenure of 13.3 years. The sleep quality mean score for drivers was 5 (SD = 2.3). Approximately, 21% of them had sleep disorder (PSQI >6). Moderate depression was recognized in 13% of drivers and moderately severe depression has been found in 5% of them. Drivers were more likely to experience sleep disorders if they had mild (odds ratio [OR] = 3.9), moderate (OR = 16.4), or fairly severe depression symptoms (OR = 35.3). A seven times higher risk of depression was identified among drivers with sleep disorders. Conclusion: It might be contended that a mutual relationship has been found between sleep disorders and depression, and disregarding this will deteriorate sleep turbulences. Considering the pivotal role of taxi drivers in urban mobility, accommodating initiatives that give a break time for drivers and improve their mental health is recommended.
RESUMO
PURPOSE: Despite to high burden of road traffic injuries (RTIs), the RTI epidemiology has received less attention with rare investments on robust population cohorts. The PERSIAN Traffic Safety and Health Cohort (PTSHC) was designed to assess the potential causal relationships between human factors and RTI mortality, injuries, severity of the injury, hospitalised injury, violation of traffic law as well as offer the strongest scientific evidence. PARTICIPANTS: The precrash cohort study is carried out in four cities of Tabriz, Jolfa, Shabestar and Osku in East Azerbaijan province located in northwest Iran. The participants were people who sampled among the general population. The cluster sampling method was used to enrol the households in this study. The PTSHC encompasses a wide and comprehensive range and types of data. These include not only the common cohort data collections such as medical examination measures, previous medical history, bio assays and behavioural assessments but also includes data obtained using advanced novel technologies, for example, electronic travel monitoring, driving simulation and neuro-psycho-physiologic laboratory assessments specifically developed for traffic health field. FINDINGS TO DATE: A total of 7200 participants aged 14 years and above were enrolled at baseline, nearly half of them being men. The mean age of participants was 39.2 (SD=19.9) years. The majority of participants (55.4%) belonged to the age group of 30-56 years. Currently, approximately 1 200 000 person-measurements have been collected. FUTURE PLANS: PSTHC will be used to determine the human-related risk factors by adjusting for the vehicle and land-use-related factors. Therefore, a lot of crashes can be prevented using effective interventions. Although this cohort provides valuable data, it is planned to increase its size to achieve the highest level of evidence with higher generalisability. Also, according to the national agreement this cohort is going to be extended to several geographical regions in second decade.