Prevalence estimates of sleep disorders and quality assessment among truck drivers traveling on highways in the State of São Paulo: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Introduction: sleeping activity is essential for the organization of the nervous system. However, its functioning could be interferred by enviromental, organic or psychic factors, wich could lead to the deflagration of sleeping disorders. Between them, the Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome (OSAS) is usually mentioned by truck drivers, a public health problem since, in consequence of the fragmentary state of sleeping, these profissionals submit themselves and the society as a whole in traffic accidents and its developments. Objetive: to estimate the prevalence of the sleep disorders (specially OSAS), the quality of the sleep and its determinants between truck drives that work on highways of the State of São Paulo. Methods: this project consists on the secundary analysis of the database made with the Research Support, Programa Jovem Pesquisador (Young Researcher Program), FAPESP number 2011/11682-0 process. Until now 684 truck drivers were examined in service stations of both Serviço Social do Transporte (Transportation Social Service) and Serviço Nacional de Aprendizagem do Transporte (Transportation Learning National Service) civil organizations, from 2012 July 13 until 2013 September 25. Between other research instruments, all of the volunteers were requested to answer the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS). Both scales were checked for each volunteer and the general results were typed on the Epi-Info v.3.5.4 program. However it was necessary to type all the information from both scales to turn possible the specification of the volunteers sleep functioning specially the subjective quality of sleep, its latency, its duration, its usual efficiency, the daytime sleepiness, the use of sleeping pills and the existence of sleeping disorders. Specially, it will be estimated the prevalence of volunteers that are at risk to develop OSAS, what will be made matching the volunteers' sistolic arterial blood pressure when it's above 130mmHg, the diastolic arterial blood pressure when it's above 90mmHg, the body mass index when it's above 30kg/m², the cervical perimeter when it's above 45cm and the ESS when it's above 12. Moreover, the volunteers with sleep disorders will be examined for identification of possible sociodemographic and occupational predictors of this malfunction. Comparisons between groups (with and without sleep disorders) will be made using Pearson's chi-squared (X2) test for nominal type variables and Mann-Whitney non-parametric test for numerical measurable variables. OR (odds ratio) will be used as a measure of association, and it'll be calculated using logistic regression. The null hypothesis will be refuted when p<0.05. Workplan: this project's objetive will be the responsibility of the scientific initiation student and it's execution is expected to last 12 months.