The Impact of a Novel Structured Health Intervention for Truckers (SHIFT) on physical activity and cardiometabolic risk factors

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the effects of implementing a lifestyle health behavior intervention on cardiovascular risk markers in a sample of lorry drivers. Methods: Fifty-seven males participated in the pre-post evaluation of a multicomponent 12-week intervention. Results: Favorable changes in several cardiovascular health indicators were observed, including fasting blood glucose (0.6 mmol/L), LDL-Cholesterol (0.7 mmol/L), total cholesterol (0.7 mmol/L), waist-hip ratio (0.10), and waist circumference (2.5 cm) (P < 0.01). The proportion of participants with a more than 10% risk of a cardiovascular event in the next 10 years was reduced by 12% (P < 0.05). A 21%, 12%, and 7.5% reduction in drivers with pre-diabetes (P < 0.001), undiagnosed diabetes (P < 0.05), and the metabolic syndrome (P < 0.05), respectively, was observed. Conclusion: This study highlights the feasibility of implementing a multicomponent health intervention within the transport setting and provides preliminary evidence of its beneficial effects on some markers of health.