Health assessment of taxi drivers in the city of Tshwane.
Tendani S Ramukumba, Makwena S Mathikhi
PMID 28155302WHAT IT FOUND
Sixty-nine male taxi drivers in Tshwane reported health risks: 79.71% had harmful habits of cigarettes, dagga and alcohol; 81.16% ate from taxi vendors or fast food outlets; 77.79% did no exercise; 53.62% did not use condoms.
Nurses may need to screen and refer.
Key findings
01Of 69 male taxi drivers, 79.71% reported harmful habits of cigarette smoking, dagga and alcohol intake, and 53.62% said they did not use condoms during sexual intercourse.
0277.79% reported doing no exercise at all, and 81.16% reported eating from taxi vendors or other fast food outlets.
03Only 15 of 69 respondents indicated they were on medication, including 6 for hypertension, 1 for diabetes and 5 for joint problems.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The sample was 69 male taxi drivers chosen by convenience at taxi ranks in Tshwane, so it cannot be generalised to all taxi drivers. The study was descriptive and largely self-reported; it did not test whether screening, referral or lifestyle advice improved health. The supplied text does not give numeric results for blood pressure, BMI, waist circumference or obesity levels, although those measurements were collected. Data were collected in 2010 by student collectors as part of experiential learning, and the paper does not report how accurate the measurements were. All participants were male, so the findings do not address female taxi drivers.
Declared interests
No funding or conflict-of-interest declaration is included in the supplied text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as evidence that occupational health screening or lifestyle advice improves health. It describes 69 male taxi drivers at a single assessment and did not test an intervention.