TRUCKIES: A Participatory Action Research approach to explore workplace strategies to address

nutrition and physical activity in Queensland truck drivers

Marguerite Sendall, Herbert Biggs, Phil Crane, Marylou Fleming, Rebeca Ramsay, Bevan Rowland & Laura McCosker

Aim The aim of this applied, mixed-methods workplace health promotion research project is to identify how transport companies can support their truck drivers to access healthy food and increase their level of physical activity at work.

Background Truck drivers are at risk of chronic disease because of work-related factors such as sedentariness, work patterns and lack of nutritional food choices. Workplace health promotion for truck drivers is difficult because of performance-based pay, legislative regulations, industry culture and the absence of a ‘workplace’. Additionally, most truck drivers are males over 50 years. These factors make truck drivers a hard-to-reach group and may limit the effectiveness of ‘traditional’ workplace health promotion strategies.

Methodology This project uses Participatory Action Research (PAR) methods. PAR is a recognised public health research methodology which has been successfully used in settings-based health promotion research both in Australia and internationally. The PAR approach values the inputs of research participants, takes advantage of participants’ existing skills and resources, builds participant engagement in project processes and interventions and delivers more rigorous outcomes.

Sample Six transport industry workplaces (general, cold, livestock and bulk haulage freighters) in southeast Queensland with a potential reach of 580 truck drivers; 6 workplace managers and ~25 truck drivers participated in the final evaluation.

Methods Data collection methods include mixed-methods, pre- and post-intervention manager interviews, key informant interviews, truck driver focus groups and surveys. Focused observation was undertaken. Transport companies implemented a number of realistic and contextual strategies to promote to uptake of healthy food options and increase physical activity over a 3 month intervention period with a 3 month follow-up (ending December 2014).

Dr Marguerite Sendall School of Public Health & Social Work Queensland University of Technology

Brisbane, Australia +61 7 313 83526

m.sendall@qut.edu.au

Findings

Conclusion

The implementation of workplace-based health promotion strategies resulted in improvements in truckies’ health knowledge and behaviour related to nutrition and physical activity, their self-reported health outcomes and workplace culture. The PAR process suggests workplace-based health promotion strategies must be contextualised to the workplace context (e.g. environment, culture, scheduling, and workload, etc.) to be maximally relevant. However, truckies and transport industry workplaces face a range of challenges in implementing workplace-based health promotion strategies – and further research is required to inform an effective response to these challenges.

There were improvements in truckies’ knowledge of Australian nutrition guidelines pre- to post intervention.

There were improvements in truckies’ behaviour consistent with Australian nutrition guidelines pre- to post intervention.

There was a decrease in the number of sugary drinks consumed by truckies each day pre- to post-intervention.

There were improvements in truckies’ behaviour consistent with Australian

physical activity guidelines pre- to post-intervention (but no improvements in their knowledge of Australian physical activity guidelines).

There was an increase in the number of truckies’ reporting they are ‘currently

making lifestyle changes’ to improve their health pre- to post-intervention. There was an increase in the number of truckies reporting they accessed health

information from their workplace pre- to post-intervention.

Findings – continued: Trucking companies are aware of the problem … but don’t know what to do

Trucking companies are receptive to change … but require support

Workplace interventions must be CONTEXTUALISED to suit workplace, culture

Truckies have a sense of individual responsibility

Truckies are constrained by regulations, limited time, choices & opportunities, etc.