None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
Long-distance truck drivers, most of whom are men, are one of the most important, yet unhealthiest occupational groups in Australia. Heart disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension and obesity are endemic within the industry, and these health issues in turn impact sleep quality, fatigue and driving performance. Despite these concerns, truck drivers remain an underserved group, with long hours spent driving and geographically challenging work environments limiting health promotion options and services. A compelling case can be made for high intensity interval training (HIIT) as an effective intervention for male long-distance truck drivers. HIIT involves one or more short bursts of high intensity exercise (e.g. 4 minutes, 3 times/week). This exercise mode resonates with men, improves cardio-respiratory fitness (CRF) and cardio-metabolic risks and conditions in obese adults, and benefits sleep quality, alertness and driving safety. Recognising the need to transition HIIT from the laboratory to real-world settings, this study will test the efficacy of ‘Truck-Fit’, a depot-delivered, scalable exercise referral program, led by an accredited exercise physiologist who will progress high risk drivers from supervised to self-administered HIIT over 16-weeks. The study will be a cluster randomised controlled trial, with driver depots randomly allocated to the 16-week HIIT program or usual behaviour control. To assess program efficacy, we will administer laboratory health and fitness assessments at baseline and end-intervention, process evaluation of HIIT, and a post-intervention driver focus group and depot manager interviews to assess barriers and facilitators to implementation. Our main outcome will be cardiorespiratory fitness; secondary outcomes will be HIIT compliance, impact on driver sleep quality and fatigue, and acceptability of the program for drivers and depot managers. The study findings will provide valuable data to support larger effectiveness trials.
Interventions
Drivers in the intervention condition will be asked to complete three-weekly sessions of high intensity interval training over 16 weeks, incorporating a 3-minute warm-up (60-70% HRpeak), followed by one high intensity 4-minute bout of exercise (85-95% HRpeak), and a 1-minute cool down. The total time for each session will be 8 minutes, with HRpeak determined from a baseline VO2peak exercise test administered during a participant screening process.
Initially, HIIT sessions will be supervised by
Drivers in the intervention condition will be asked to complete three-weekly sessions of high intensity interval training over 16 weeks, incorporating a 3-minute warm-up (60-70% HRpeak), followed by one high intensity 4-minute bout of exercise (85-95% HRpeak), and a 1-minute cool down. The total time for each session will be 8 minutes, with HRpeak determined from a baseline VO2peak exercise test administered during a participant screening process. Initially, HIIT sessions will be supervised by an accredited exercise physiologist (AEP), but the number of supervised sessions will be gradually phased out across 16 weeks, as drivers are trained and educated towards self-administration of three non-supervised sessions/week during the final four weeks. This delivery pattern in real world conditions provides an ideal model for assessing key behaviour change support components linked to compliance, as will occur as follows: Weeks 1-4 = 3 supervised sessions/week; Weeks 5-8 = 2 supervised & 1 non-supervised sessions/week; Weeks 9-12 =1 supervised and 2 non-supervised sessions/week; Weeks 13-16 = 3 non-supervised sessions/week. The program will begin with a single, 2 hour AEP-led workshop where through an interactive, educational workshop, drivers will review program benefits, goals and logistics. At this point, drivers will also receive a project pack with a diary for recording observations, program experiences, and sessions completed. For supervised sessions, the AEP will deliver HIIT at a centralised facility, to groups of up to 5 drivers during pre-driving routines. During these sessions drivers will be prescribed exercise via cycle ergometers provided by the research team, and choose with the AEP from a range of suitable calisthenic exercises (e.g. high knee jogging, or stair stepping) that elicit a similar high intensity heart rate response; wear heart rate monitors to learn to rate perceived exertion (RPE) relative to monitored target heart rates (with HIIT rated as an RPE of 16-18 on a scale of 6-20); identify suitable locations other than the depot (e.g. truck stops or home) where these exercises could occur; engage with a range of behavioural support resources developed and tested through our previous work with drivers (i.e. feedback, self-monitoring and peer support strategies), to promote program compliance and maintenance as AEP contact gradually reduces across the 16-week program.
Sponsors
Ass/Prof Nicholas Gilson
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Primary purpose
Treatment
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
Male
Age
45 Years to 65 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
To be eligible, drivers should be able to perform exercise without severe muscle, bone or joint pain; and present with 2 or more chronic disease risk factors (to include no or little moderate/vigorous exercise or leisure time physical activity as an indicator of low cardiorespiratory fitness, as well as one other risk factor such as family history of heart disease).
Exclusion criteria
All drivers who meet initial eligibility criteria will enter the baseline stage of the study, and attend our university exercise laboratory for clinical screening prior to entering the next phases of the study. This will include a cycle ergometer exercise stress test, supervised by a medical doctor, who will apply clinical exclusion criteria (cardiac arrhythmias, or systolic BP> 200 mm Hg and/or diastolic BP > 110 mm Hg at rest). Those who may be excluded from further participation will receive feedback on their results and be referred to their medical practitioner for ongoing care and support.
Outcome results
None listed