Study on Sleepiness and Drivers´ Attention in Urban Transport

It is a descriptive transversal study of a professional-drivers sample from Brasilia and Florianopolis, which aimed to describe daytime sleepiness and quantify the level of attention of this population. The following tools were used: Sleep Questionnaire,Epworth Scale, Diffused Attention Test (TADIM), and Concentrated Attention Test (TACOM-A). Of the 404 drivers tested, 300 were from Brasilia. It was observed that Brasilia drivers' neck circumference was smaller (p = 0.02). Relatively, more drivers from Brasilia showed excessive sleepiness in the Epworth Scale (p = 0.0001). As to TACOM-A, the same drivers presented significantly less concentrated attention than the ones from Florianopolis (p = 0.0001). From all the variables, there was no correlation between the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, the age and the attention tests. The study pointed out a great number of sleepy and distracted drivers.Among the anthropometric variables, only the neck circumference stood out as statistically divergent, but such a difference has no clinic relevance. In addition, there were significant statistical differences in excessive daytime sleepiness and concentrated attention among the evaluated drivers.

Autorentext

Psychologist graduated at Universidade do Vale do Rio do Sinos (1983-1989)Post-graduation in public policies at Universidade de Brasilia (1999-2000)Master degree in health sciences at Universidade de Brasilia (2011)