Truck drivers have the highest rates of occupational motor vehicle fatalities of any job classification in the United States. The organization of their work, the environment, and the work itself place truck drivers at risk for sleep restriction, fragmentation and motor vehicle crashes. In spite of significant sleep restriction and evidence of sleep onset, truckers may not recognize themselves as sleepy. Feedback actigraphy may be a cue that influences truckers to stop driving when they are sleepy.
The specific aims of this dissertation were to (1) Review select subjective measures of sleepiness commonly used in the occupational health research; (2) Identify a model for predicting the probability of falling asleep at the wheel in long-haul truck drivers; (3) Investigate the psychometric properties of the Epworth Sleepiness Scale in a sample of long-haul truck drivers; (4) Evaluate the effects of feedback actigraphy on sleep quantity and quality, attitude toward sleep, and perceived control of sleep in long-haul truck drivers.
The Epworth and Karolinska Sleepiness Scales were found to be the best subjective sleepiness measures for use in the study of long-haul truckers. Along with use of medications to stay awake, the Epworth sleepiness scale predicted the probability of long-haul truckers' falling asleep at the wheel within the past 12 months and 30 days. Other predictor variables for falling asleep within the past 12 months were sleeping less than six hours per night, and driving more than six hours at night.
The use of feedback actigraphy in long-haul truckers did not improve subjects' performance on any of the dependent variables in the pilot study. Replication of the study in a larger sample of long-haul truck drivers is necessary before any conclusions can be drawn about the effect of feedback actigraphy on truckers. Qualitative research methods are a recommended addition to future feedback actigraph studies of truck drivers. The qualitative exploration of intention to change behavior should be conducted and compared with the quantitative findings related to sleep variables. Replication of the study is recommended to further explore the possible role of the device as an intervention to promote healthy sleep behavior.
Key Words . occupational heat, transportation, sleep, feedback
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