Depression and sexual risk behavior among long-distance truck drivers at roadside wellness clinics in Kenya

High levels of mild to moderate depression among men who have sex with men and transgender women in Lima, Peru: implications for integrated depression and HIV care

ABSTRACTDepression disproportionally affects people at risk of acquiring or living with HIV and is associated with worse health outcomes; however, depression care is not routinely integrated with HIV prevention and treatment services. Selection of the best depression intervention(s) for integration depends both on the prevalence and severity of depression among potential users. To inform depression care integration in a community-based setting in Lima, Peru, we retrospectively analyzed routinely collected depression screening data from men who have sex with men and transgender women seeking HIV prevention and care services (N = 185). Depression was screened for using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9. Prevalence of any depression (PHQ-9 ≥ 5) was 42% and was significantly associated with the last sexual partner being "casual" (p = 0.01). Most (81%) depressive symptoms were mild to moderate (≥5 PHQ-9 ≤ 14). Integrating depression care with HIV prevention and treatment services in Peru should begin by implementing interventions targeting mild to moderate depression.

Construct validity and internal consistency of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) depression screening measure translated into two Ugandan languages

BACKGROUND

In Uganda, depression is a major public health issue because of its direct disease burden and as a risk factor and co-morbidity for other pervasive health issues. Psychometric assessment of translated depression measures is critical to public health planning to ensure proper screening, surveillance, and treatment of depression and related outcomes. We examined aspects of the validity and reliability of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) translated into Luganda and Runyoro in a large population-based cohort of Ugandan adolescents and adults.

METHODS

Data from the ongoing open cohort AMBSO Population Health Surveillance study were analyzed from the Wakiso and Hoima districts in Uganda. Descriptive statistics were calculated for the overall sample and stratified by translated language. Construct validity was assessed for each translated scale using confirmatory factor analysis for ordinal data. The internal consistency of each translated scale was assessed using Cronbach's alpha, McDonald's omega total and omega hierarchical.

RESULTS

Compared to the Runyoro-speaking subsample from Hoima (n=2297), participants in the Luganda-speaking subsample from Wakiso (n=672) were older (27 vs 21 years, p < 0.01) and a greater proportion were female (62% vs. 55%, p < 0.01). The Luganda-translated PHQ-9 had a sample mean of 3.46 (SD=3.26), supported a single-factor structure (RMSEA=0.05, CFI=0.96, TLI=0.94), and demonstrated satisfactory internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha=0.73, McDonald's omega total=0.76, McDonald's omega hierarchical=0.53). The Runyoro-translated PHQ-9 had a comparable sample mean of 3.58 (SD=3.00), also supported a one-factor structure (RMSEA=0.08, CFI=0.92, TLI=0.90), and demonstrated satisfactory internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha=0.72, McDonald's omega total=0.76, McDonald's omega hierarchical=0.57).

CONCLUSIONS

Our preliminary findings indicate that the Luganda and Runyoro translations of the PHQ-9 had satisfactory construct validity and internal consistency in our sample of Ugandan adolescents and adults. Future studies should expand on this promising work by assessing additional psychometric characteristics of these translated measures in other communities in Uganda.

Cardiometabolic risk factors and mental health status among truck drivers: a systematic review

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to systematically review and summarise the literature on cardiometabolic risk factors, lifestyle health behaviours and mental health status of truck drivers globally to ascertain the scale of these health concerns.

DESIGN

Systematic review reported using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines.

DATA SOURCES

PubMed, Scopus, PsycINFO and Web of Science were searched in January 2019 and updated in January 2020, from the date of inception to 16 January 2020.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR SELECTING STUDIES

Papers were included if they (1) reported independent data on truck drivers, (2) included quantitative data on outcomes related to cardiometabolic markers of health, mental health and/or health behaviours, (3) were written in English and (4) were published in a peer-reviewed journal. Grey literature was ineligible for this review.

DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS

One reviewer independently extracted data and assessed methodological quality using a checklist based on the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute Quality Assessment tool. 20% were independently assessed for eligibility and quality by a second reviewer. Due to heterogeneity of the outcomes, results were narratively presented.

RESULTS

3601 titles and abstracts were screened. Seventy-three studies met the inclusion criteria. Truck driving is associated with enforced sedentarism, long and irregular working hours, lack of healthy foods, social isolation and chronic time pressures. Strong evidence was observed for truck drivers to generally exhibit poor cardiometabolic risk profiles including overweight and obesity, hypertension, hypercholesterolaemia, high blood glucose, poor mental health and cigarette smoking.

CONCLUSIONS

Improving truck driver health is vital for the longevity of the trucking industry, and for the safety of all road users. The workplace plays a vital role in truck driver health; policies, regulations and procedures are required to address this health crisis.

PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER

CRD42019124499.