Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Health Survey Of Us Long-Haul Trucker Drivers: Work Environment, Physical Health, And Healthcare Access, Yorghos Apostolopolous, Sevile Sonmez, Mona Shattell, Clifford Gonzales, Caitlin Fehrenbacher

Mona Shattell

No abstract provided.

Sex Work In Trucking Milieux: ‘Lot Lizards,’ Truckers, And Risk, Yorghos Apostolopoulos, Sevil Sönmez, Mona Shattell, Jennifer Kronenfeld

Mona Shattell

No abstract provided.

Trucking Organization And Mental Health Disorders Of Truck Drivers, Mona Shattell, Yorghos Apostolopoulos, Chad Collins, Sevil Sonmez, Caitlin Fehrenhacher

Mona Shattell

Background: There are over 3 million truck drivers employed in the commercial transportation and material moving occupations, one of the largest occupational groups in the United States. Workers in this large and growing occupational segment are at risk for a range of occupational health-induced conditions including mental health and psychiatric disorders due to high occupational stress, low access and use of health care, and limited social support.

Objective: The purpose of the study was to explore male truck drivers’ mental health risks and associated co-morbidities, using a cross-sectional and quantitative design.

Methods and Sample: Data were collected from a random …

Cruising For Truckers On Highways And The Internet: Sexual Networks And Infection Risk, Yorghos Apostolopoulos, Sevil Sönmez, Mona Shattell, Jennie Kronenfeld, Donna Smith, Sarah Stanton

Mona Shattell

Empirical evidence on the heterosexual partnerships of long-haul truckers suggests connections among occupational stressors, substance misuse, structural factors, and risk for sexually transmitted infections and HIV. Yet the potential risks associated with same-sex partnerships of truckers and truckchasers (men who specifically cruise for truckers) remain largely unknown. Drawing from diverse sources as well as primary and secondary data from 173 truckers and “truckchasers,” we discuss how trucking and cruising contexts, in conjunction with Internet fora, jointly create a risk-enabling environment for truckers and their sex contacts. Findings point toward an elusive but extensive sexual network that spans across the Internet …

Barriers To Truck Drivers’ Healthy Eating: Environmental Influences And Health Promotion Strategies, Yorghos Apostolopoulos, Sevil Sönmez, Mona Shattell, Robert Strack, Laura Haldeman, Victoria Jones

Mona Shattell

This article presents an assessment of 25 trucking work settings designed to examine whether the environmental attributes of these settings influence eating patterns of truckers who are at risk for excess weight gain. Findings corroborate evidence that these work settings represent healthy food deserts. From restaurants and vending machines to the social-information environments and their surrounding communities, only meager opportunities exist for healthful eating practices. This article aims to place underserved truckers and warehousing-sector employees firmly within the discourse of workplace health promotion and calls for multistakeholder wellness strategies that encompass the intertwined risk factors linked with the transportation work …

Infection Risk Along U.S. Highways? The Case Of A ‘Truckchaser’ Cruising For Truckers, Mona Shattell, Yorghos Apostolopoulos, Sevil Sönmez, Richard Rothenberg, Rose Weitz, John Smith

Mona Shattell

This article explores potential infection risks linked with trucker cruising along U.S. highways. Specifically, the article delineates the settings and social organization of trucker cruising, examines the structure of sex partnerships of truckers and cruisers, and delves into the unique database of one truckchaser who recorded 4,162 sex interactions with 2,499 different truckers during a 13-year period. Concurrent sexual partnerships of bisexual and particularly straight-identified truckers hold increased potential for amplifying infection risk as they enable pathogens to operate as bridges along disparate geographies, demographies, and epidemiologies.

Worksite-Induced Morbidities Of Truck Drivers In The United States, Yorghos Apostolopoulos, Sevil Sönmez, Mona Shattell, Michael Belzer

Mona Shattell

A critical review was conducted of social, psychological, and health science literature on the array of health risks and morbidities of truckers. Multilevel worksite-induced strains (e.g., long work hours and fatigue, shift work and sleep deprivation, postural fatigue and exposure to noise and vibration, sedentary lifestyle and unhealthy diet, exposure to diesel exhaust fumes, and other occupational stressors) were categorized into six primary morbidities for truckers: (1) psychological and psychiatric disorders; (2) detriments resulting from disrupted biological cycles; (3) musculoskeletal disorders; (4) cancer and respiratory morbidities; (5) cardiovascular disease; and (6) risk-laden substance use and sexual practices. Elevated morbidity risks …