Affiliations: Department of Radiation-Oncology and Epidemiology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA | Labor Occupational Safety and Health Program, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Note: [] Corresponding author: Linda Delp, UCLA-LOSH, 10945 Le Conte Ave., Suite 2107,
Box 951478, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1478, USA. Tel.: +1 310 794 5976; Fax: +1 310 794 6403; E-mail: [email protected]
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Taxi drivers work long hours for low wages and report
hypertension, weight gain, and musculoskeletal pain associated with the
sedentary nature of their job, stressful working conditions, and poor dietary
habits. They also experience a high work-related fatality rate. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to examine the association of taxi
drivers' health status and level of job stress with work-related injury and
determine if a potential interaction exists. METHODS: A survey of 309 Los
Angeles taxi drivers provides basic data on health status, job stress, and
work-related injuries. We further analyzed the data using a Modified Poisson
regression approach with a robust error variance to estimate the relative risk
(RR) and the 95% confidence intervals (CI) of work-related injuries. Focus
group results supplemented and helped interpret the quantitative data. RESULTS: The joint effect of good health and low job stress was associated
with a large reduction in the incidence of injuries, consistent with the
hypothesis that health status and stress levels modify each other on the risk
of work-related injury. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the combination of stress reduction and health management programs together with
changes in the stressful conditions of the job may provide targeted avenues to
prevent injuries.
Keywords: Stressors, taxi driver injuries, worker alliance, health promotion
