Taipei Bus Drivers’ Attitude and Intention to Control Hypertension

Abstract

Background  This study aims to examine the prevalence rate of hypertension and the perception of hypertension, health belief and other factors among hypertensive and none-hypertensive bus drivers. Methods  The Health Belief Model (HBM) was used as a tool for examination of bus drivers in Taipei. The key variables of HBM are perceived susceptibility to contracting a health condition, perceived severity, perceived benefits, perceived barriers and cues to action. Face-to-face interviews using standardized questionnaire based on the HBM were administered. A total of 1,091 employees from a bus company in Taipei, who were professional drivers and without psychiatric conditions, participated in the cross-sectional study in July and August, 2011. Results  Twenty percent of male bus drivers suffered from hypertension. Regarding knowledge of hypertension, the group with hypertension scored higher than the non-hypertensive group (p<0.001), although scores remained quite low. The key variables of the HBM after controlling for the confounders, regularly BP checking helped identify early hypertension (perceived benefits), perceived likelihood of developing hypertension (perceived susceptibility) and information received from health care providers (cues to action), non-hypertensive respondents perceived significantly lower likelihood than their hypertensive counterparts, with OR = 0.037 (p >< 0.05), 0.081 (p < 0.001) and 0.396 (p < 0.01), respectively. Conclusions  This investigation found that bus drivers had inadequate knowledge and attitude about hypertension. Data showed relatively low perceived severity of disease. Although perceived benefits were higher than perceived barriers, cues to action remained insufficient. Their behavioral intention also needed to be enhanced.