Introduction: Occupational stress refers to the pressure that individual workers feel around their work conditions. It's a significant factor that affects individuals, groups, and communities. Occupational stress is an important health issue in a variety of occupations and has been associated with health problems and risk-taking behaviours. Drivers, in particular bus drivers, have very stressful jobs as they work shifts for long hours creating exposure to unhealthy levels of pollutants and a higher rate of sickness absenteeism. The purpose of the study is to determine the prevalence and associated factors of occupational stress among Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) bus drivers in Kolar, Karnataka.
Objectives: Among KSRTC bus drivers in Kolar.
1.To determine the stress level in occupation among KSRTC
bus drivers.
2.To determine association between the stress and
occupation-related factors.
3.To assess the health status among KSRTC drivers.
Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted
from September 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024, at the KSRTC depot in Kolar, which
serves both urban and rural areas. The depot employs 729 staff, including bus
drivers, conductors, mechanics, housekeeping, and administrative staff. Out of
654 bus drivers, a representative sample of 235 was selected using simple
random sampling. Data were collected through a list of permanently employed
staff from the depot's authority to ensure accuracy and relevance.
Results: The study among KSRTC bus drivers in Kolar found
that 65% experienced moderate to severe stress. Significant factors associated
with occupational stress included urban residency, divorce, chronic alcohol
consumption, current tobacco chewing, hypertension, higher BMI, long working
hours, and high waist-hip ratio. Binary logistic regression revealed
significant associations between these variables with stress levels. We found
that urban residents had significantly higher odds of experiencing stress
compared to rural residents (OR=1.27, p=0.03). Divorced individuals and chronic
alcoholics also showed higher odds of stress (OR=1.24, p=0.05 and OR=1.33,
p=0.04, respectively). Significant associations were identified between stress
and hypertension (OR=1.40, p=0.01), obesity (OR=1.30, p=0.03), morbid obesity
(OR=1.47, p=0.01), high-risk waist-hip ratios (OR=1.42, p=0.01), and longer
working hours (>12 hours, OR=1.30, p=0.03). Health assessments revealed a
high prevalence of hypertension and obesity.
Conclusion: The study highlights the alarming prevalence of
occupational stress among KSRTC bus drivers in Kolar, with 65% experiencing
moderate to severe stress. Factors such as urban residency, lifestyle habits,
and physiological parameters were found to significantly contribute to this
stress burden. These results highlight the importance of population-specific
health promotion programmes and policy amendments to improve the health of
essential workers and road safety in general.
Author (s) Details
Varun R
epartment of Community Medicine, SDUMC, SDUAHER, Kolar, Karnataka, India.
Pradeep T.S.
Department of Community Medicine, SDUMC, SDUAHER, Kolar, Karnataka, India.
Muninarayana C.
Department of Community Medicine, SDUMC, SDUAHER, Kolar, Karnataka, India.
Please see the book here:- https://doi.org/10.9734/bpi/mono/978-93-48859-36-5
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