Driving to better health: cancer and cardiovascular risk assessment among taxi cab operators in Chicago.
While a number of investigations of the health of taxi cab drivers have been conducted in Europe, Asia, and Africa, virtually none have been conducted in the United States. We undertook a survey of taxi cab operators in the Chicago area to understand better their health status and health promotion practices. The survey was completed by a convenience sample of 751 Chicago taxi drivers. Taxi drivers had low rates of insurance coverage, fruit and vegetable consumption, and physical activity compared with the general Chicago population. Participation in cancer screening tests was also lower for this group. A high proportion of taxi drivers are immigrants. They tend to be highly educated and report a readiness to engage in more health-promoting behaviors. Further research is needed to develop a targeted intervention for this population.
National Black Leadership Initiative on Cancer, USA. apantaku@uic.edu
Funmi
F
Apantaku-Onayemi
William
W
Baldyga
Shaffdeen
S
Amuwo
Adedeji
A
Adefuye
Terry
T
Mason
Robin
R
Mitchell
Daniel S
DS
Blumenthal
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001334:Automobile Driving; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002641:Chicago; D003132:Commerce; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006293:Health Promotion; D006304:Health Status; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D055815:Young Adult