Assessment and Relationship of Work Ability and the Level of Physical Activity Among Professional Bus Drivers

• Main Authors: Jeličić, M.M (Author), Mlinarić, T.J (Author), Zajac, P. (Author)
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Faculty of Transport and Traffic Engineering 2023
• Subjects: driver’s workplace; physical activity; work ability index
• Online Access: View Fulltext in Publisher

 Numerous studies have shown that city bus drivers suffer from three key categories of health disorders: cardiovascular diseases, gastrointestinal disorders and musculoskeletal system is-sues, affecting the individual’s ability to work. The aim of this research was to assess the working ability of bus drivers and to determine the connection between the level of physical activity and the work ability in professional bus drivers. The study protocol included an assessment of participants’ work ability using the Work Ability Index (WAI) Questionnaire on a sample of 115 bus drivers. A statistical analysis was performed using the SAS System soft-ware package (SAS Institute Inc., North Carolina, USA). The questionnaire for determining the work ability index indicated good or excellent work ability in 78 (67.8%) of bus drivers. Moderate work ability that needed to be improved was recorded in 27 (23.5%) of drivers, and poor work ability that needed to be restored in 10 (8.7%). The results of the regression analysis show that increasing the average number of steps per day by a 1,000 increases the WAI score by 0.8. The obtained data should serve as an important argument for the design of future public health and kinesiology interventions to improve the work ability in professional bus drivers. © 2023, Faculty of Transport and Traffic Engineering. All rights reserved.