Potential interventions to improve dietary behaviors among long-haul truck drivers in Germany

Peer-Reviewed / Manuscript (original contribution) received: September 23, 2020 / Revision accepted: January 05, 2021

Results of a qualitative study

Introduction

During the corona crisis another occupational group, besides medical and health care professionals and food retailing personnel, showed its crucial importance for the provision of goods: professional truck drivers. Empty supermarket shelves and the lack of essential supplies in hospitals made it obvious how delivery chains are usually flawlessly streamlined and how freight transport plays a crucial role in making food and other goods available to consumers.
Many of these “system relevant” professions have low wages and are underappreciated. The fact that professional truck drivers are often seen on roads that are frequently congested does not increase their popularity. At the same time, their achievements are great and their workload under the existing circumstances is immense.

Over 70% of the freight transport in Germany is by road [1]. In 2019, trucks drove over 40 billion kilometers on toll roads in Germany [2]. Over half a billion professional truck drivers were registered in 2013 in Germany alone [3], and the need continuously increases while the search for new recruits is becoming a big challenge within the industry. The problem will exacerbate due to the age distribution of the employees within this industry with 30% aged 55 years or older and less than 3% under the age of 25 [4, 5]. Furthermore, truck drivers belonged to the occupational group with the highest sick days with 27.2 days in 2018 [6]. One reason appears to be the unfavorable working conditions [7–10].
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Abstract

Given the particular working conditions, professional long-haul truck drivers who generally have to travel for several days at a time, face particular challenges to follow a balanced diet. The aim of this qualitative study was to examine the dietary behavior of German speaking truck drivers and their opinions regarding possible interventions to improve their dietary behaviour.
Qualitative data was obtained using semi-structured guideline based one-on-one interviews and focus groups. A total of 16 truck drivers participated, eight in the one-on-one interviews and eight in the focus group interviews.
Emerging issues regarding the eating situation of truck drivers were the lack of shopping possibilities, the bad quality and unfavorable cost-benefit ratio of offered meals at truck stops, lack of parking, and long and irregular working days. Truck drivers evaluated the presented intervention ideas differently depending on their working conditions.
The results revealed that the truck drivers were frustrated with the eating situation and meal options while working. Several proposed ideas to improve their diet were met with interest. The emerging typologies to describe separate groups of truck drivers can help to identify their specific problems and needs in order to develop goal-oriented interventions. These typologies should be confirmed in additional, also quantitative, studies.

Keywords: Professional truck drivers, eating behaviour, qualitative research, eating situation, health promotion

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