The Relationship between Insomnia and Lifestyle-Related Diseases among Japanese Male Truck Drivers.

Previously, insomnia and adverse lifestyle were prevalent among truck drivers, but the association between the two remains unknown in this particular occupational cohort. This study aimed to examine the relationship between insomnia and lifestyle-related diseases among truck drivers. We investigated 875 male truck drivers of the Japan Truck Association, Akita branch, as of July 2020. The definition of insomnia was based on the International Classification of Sleep Disorders, Third Edition (ICSD-3). Data from a self-administered questionnaire were merged with health records and health insurance claims data of 2020. In total, 40.1% had either one of the lifestyle-related diseases including hypertension (29.7%), diabetes mellitus (11.7%), and dyslipidemia (24.8%), whereas according to ICSD-3, 13.2% had insomnia. Multivariate logistic regression models demonstrated that individuals with insomnia had approximately 2-fold increased risk of having at least one lifestyle-related disease (p < 0.001), hypertension (p = 0.0027), diabetes mellitus (p = 0.0654) and dyslipidemia (p < 0.001). Occupational characteristics including daily driving hours, driving distance, and travel days were not associated with any lifestyle-related diseases except for an association between short-haul and at least one disease. In conclusion, insomnia is significantly associated with increased risks of lifestyle-related diseases among male truck drivers in Japan.

Diabetes and anxiety were associated with insomnia among Japanese male truck drivers.

OBJECTIVE/BACKGROUND: Insomnia among truck drivers may contribute to traffic accidents. We previously reported that truck drivers had adverse lifestyle habits, including smoking and drinking alcohol, in addition to enforced sedentarism making them more vulnerable to lifestyle-related diseases. This study aimed to investigate the association between insomnia and diabetes, as well as the effect of anxiety related to driving tasks on this association. PATIENTS/METHODS: A total of 755 male truck drivers under 65 years of age who belonged to Akita prefecture Truck Association in Japan were investigated. Insomnia and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) score were assessed using a self-administered questionnaire in 2020. Insomnia was defined in accordance with International classification of sleep disorders-third edition. Diabetes was defined as a fasting blood glucose level of ≥126 mg/dL and/or use of anti-diabetic drugs using data obtained from health checkups in 2018. RESULTS: The proportions of truck drivers with insomnia and diabetes were 13.9% and 9.7%, respectively, which were higher than those in the general working population in Japan. After adjusting for age, smoking, drinking, daily hours of driving and sleep, and hypertension, the STAI score (odds ratio [OR] for the highest quartile vs. the lowest: 3.88, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.84-8.18) and diabetes (OR: 2.49, 95% CI: 1.11-5.60) were found to be associated with insomnia. A statistical interaction with STAI scores was not observed between diabetes and insomnia. CONCLUSIONS: The present study demonstrated that diabetes and anxiety are independently and significantly associated with insomnia in male Japanese truck drivers.

COVID-19 Vaccine Intention and Knowledge, Literacy, and Health Beliefs among Japanese University Students.

This study investigated the intention to get the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine and its associated factors among Japanese university students. A cross-sectional survey was conducted from March to May 2021 via an e-learning platform at Akita University. Participants were 1776 graduate and undergraduate students who answered the survey on vaccine intention, the health belief model (HBM), sociodemographic characteristics, and concerns over COVID-19-related situations. Vaccine intention was stratified into active, slightly less, and no intention, and the associated factors were determined using the multinomial logistic regression model. Results showed that 56.7% of students had active intention, followed by slightly less intention (34.5%) and no intention (8.8%). After adjusting for covariates, healthcare course, perceived severity (life-threatening and serious social consequences), and perceived benefits from HBM were significantly associated with active intention, with adjusted odds ratios of 4.02 (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.11-7.67), 1.40 (95% CI, 1.16-1.69), 1.23 (95% CI, 1.04-1.46), and 2.03 (95% CI, 1.66-2.49), respectively; perceived barriers (side effect, troublesome, and parent disagreement) were adversely associated with active intention. The public health strategy to improve students' vaccine uptake requires providing accurate information on vaccine safety and efficacy while removing any barriers to vaccination.

Factors Associated with Insomnia Among Truck Drivers in Japan.

PURPOSE: Truck drivers with insomnia are at a high risk of traffic accidents. We aimed to investigate the prevalence of insomnia and identify its associated factors among truck drivers in Japan. METHODS: Participants were 2927 male truck drivers younger than 65 years old. Self-administered questionnaires were used to assess insomnia symptoms, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, drinking, smoking habits, body mass index, caffeine intake, as well as daily driving hours, consecutive days away from home, and driving distance. Insomnia symptoms included difficulty initiating sleep, maintaining sleep and early morning awakening. Insomnia was defined when any of these symptoms were observed with daily tiredness. RESULTS: The prevalence of insomnia among the subjects was 13.3% (n=356), of which 13.5% had difficulty initiating sleep, 78% had difficulty maintaining sleep, and 26.4% had early morning awakening. After adjusting for covariates, drinking habits, daily driving hours, and STAI score were significantly and linearly associated with insomnia; the adjusted odds ratio (OR) of drinking habits for insomnia was 1.74 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.23-2.47] for heavy drinkers compared to non-drinkers (trend p<0.001); the adjusted OR of daily driving hours was 1.87 (95% CI, 1.00-3.49) for 12 hours or longer in a day compared to <8 hours in a day (trend p<0.001); the adjusted OR of STAI quartiles was 5.30 (95% CI, 3.66-7.67) for the highest quartile compared to the lowest quartile (trend p<0.001). CONCLUSION: The present study demonstrated that insomnia is prevalent among truck drivers in Japan, and its risk factors include drinking habits, daily driving hours, and anxiety.