Abstract
Funding Acknowledgements
Type of funding sources: Public grant(s) – National budget only. Main funding source(s): Department for the Economy, Northern Ireland
Background
Men are at higher risk then women of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD) and male taxi drivers are a particularly high risk group because of their typically unhealthy behaviours, such as poor eating habits, smoking and a sedentary lifestyle. However, only two studies of behavioural interventions targeting taxi drivers have been identified, one of which had a high attrition rate. Therefore, an eHealth intervention co-designed by taxi drivers may prove more user-friendly and effective.
Purpose
The aim of this study is to assess the feasibility of a randomised controlled trial (RCT) of an eHealth intervention – ManGuard – to reduce CVD risk in male taxi drivers.
Methods
A wait-list controlled trial of 30 male taxi drivers in Belfast, Northern Ireland, will be assigned randomly to an intervention or usual care group. The ManGuard Application comprises seven modules: i) introduction and goal setting, ii) being active iii) eating well, iv) managing stress, v) smoking, vi) alcohol and vii) keep accelerating, the latter to be used as a re-cap module. This trial will establish feasibility, including recruitment, engagement and retention rates, program usability and participant satisfaction, as well as preliminary efficacy of ManGuard in improving key outcomes. Primary outcome is to determine the feasibility of an eHealth intervention for reducing CVD risk in male taxi drivers by assessing the following outcome measures:
o Acceptability, recruitment, retention and engagement rates
o Usability and participant satisfaction, process evaluation and survey
The secondary outcome is to evaluate the preliminary efficacy of ManGuard compared to usual care in improving the following outcomes:
o Clinical indices: CVD biomarkers (cholesterol, glucose), blood pressure, anthropometry (BMI, waist circumference, body fat percentage)
o Physical activity
o Psychosocial status: health related quality of life, self-efficacy, social support
An in-depth qualitative process evaluation to explore acceptability of the intervention will also be conducted.
Trial registration: This trial has been registered prospectively on the ISRCTN registry on 5 January 2022
Conclusion
eHealth interventions have been shown to promote behaviour change and reduce CVD risk in men, but there is a lack of robust evidence for this in male taxi drivers, a high-risk group. This study aims to assess the feasibility of a future RCT assessing the impact of ManGuard on CVD risk in male taxi drivers. This study will inform a fully-powered trial that will provide robust evidence for eHealth interventions for this underserved population.