Abstract
The occupation of taxi driving predisposes drivers to health risks, including obesity, cardiovascular and metabolic disorders. Although individual components of metabolic syndrome (MetS) are documented, data is scarce on concurrent metabolic disturbances among commercial drivers. The prevalence of MetS and its components were determined in a cross-sectional study among taxi drivers (n = 362) in the City of Tshwane, South Africa. Sociodemographic, occupational, and lifestyle factors were assessed using a structured questionnaire. Anthropometry, blood pressure, and glucose were measured. MetS was defined based on BMI strata, hypertension, and glucose levels. Data was analyzed using SPSS. The mean age of taxi drivers was 42 ± 10.9 years. Overall prevalence of MetS was 17.1%, with higher prevalence observed among older taxi drivers (24.2%) and those with longer experience in the industry (22.9%). Individual components of MetS were obesity (36%), hypertension (36%) and diabetes (46%), while smoking (30%), alcohol use (59%), and physical inactivity (71%) were observed. MetS was associated with duration in the taxi industry, and family history of diabetes among taxi drivers. The presence of MetS and its components among taxi drivers calls for early identification of cardiometabolic risks in the taxi industry and efforts towards achieving a healthier workforce.
Highlights
Taxis are a common means of transport in South Africa, especially in the urban area [1].The country draws part of its economy from the taxi industry, which serves the majority of South Africans who are poor, and dependent on public transport [1]
While data on metabolic syndrome (MetS) is limited among taxi drivers [11], the prevalence of MetS in the general South African population varies from 5% to 62% [18,19,20,21,22,23,24], which is determined by the group being studied
MetS is present in taxi drivers and might be driven by the presence of obesity, hypertension, and diabetes as MetS components
Summary
Taxis are a common means of transport in South Africa, especially in the urban area [1].The country draws part of its economy from the taxi industry, which serves the majority of South Africans who are poor, and dependent on public transport [1]. The. South African taxi industry has approximately 200,000–300,000 drivers and its turnover is estimated at more than R16, 5 billion (USD ≈1 billion) [1,2]. South African taxi industry has approximately 200,000–300,000 drivers and its turnover is estimated at more than R16, 5 billion (USD ≈1 billion) [1,2] This industry predisposes taxi drivers to occupation-based health risks in their line of work, which is life-threatening [3,4,5,6,7]. While data on MetS is limited among taxi drivers [11], the prevalence of MetS in the general South African population varies from 5% to 62% [18,19,20,21,22,23,24], which is determined by the group being studied
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