The average life expectancy of a professional truck driver is 61 years while the national average is 77 years. The average age of New Brunswick’s truck drivers is only 55. Half of all truck drivers in New Brunswick have at least one chronic medical condition like diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, or heart disease. Managing these illnesses requires regular contact with a primary healthcare provider, but this is a major challenge for truckers who spend most of their lives on the road.
The Truckers’ Health Adaptive Technology (TH@CLINIC) Project was launched with the goal of improving participants’ access to integrated and personalized primary care. Truckers can virtually access physical, mental health, or social service supports while on the road.
The TH@CLINIC Project is led by Dr. Jalila Jbilou. She holds both an MD and a PhD and is an associate professor at the École de psychologie and the Centre de formation médicale du Nouveau-Brunswick at the Université de Moncton. She observes that over the course of her career, she has come to realize the challenges that men face in accessing medical care.
“In New Brunswick, the Potential Years of Life Lost indicator is four times higher for men, meaning we’re losing younger men at a higher rate,” she notes. “That’s what drew me to the trucking industry. It’s a predominantly male industry with a high level of chronic disease. I decided to focus my research on this particular segment of society because I wanted to discover what could be done to help them when they’re on the road.”
Jbilou says the TH@CLINIC commenced thanks to an initial grant received from the New Brunswick Health Research Foundation.
“Having ResearchNB backing us has given us the credibility we needed to forge ahead and attract additional funders who trust the quality of research we’re leading,” says Jbilou.
Each truck driver participating in the TH@CLINIC Project is given a series of tools including smartwatches, smartphones, and other digital health monitors to help keep track of their daily glucose, blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen saturation, stress levels, and steps. Kits also include exercise equipment like resistance bands and stress balls along with educational guides on topics such as healthy eating, exercises to treat muscle pain, and mindfulness activities to treat stress.
Participants also have access to constant virtual care and are encouraged to use their smartphone to connect with a TH@CLINIC nurse who can direct them to medical professionals as needed – this includes doctors, occupational therapists, pharmacists, and social workers. The TH@CLINIC nurse can also assist with booking laboratory tests with flexible locations, receiving results, and scheduling medical consultations within New Brunswick.
The project was launched in the fall of 2022 and is already yielding positive results. “The drivers participating in the study have really embraced this program. They just needed this push to feel empowered and take control of their health,” says Jbilou. “We are only at the six-month follow-up point and results are encouraging. One participant lost 20 lbs, others have experienced lowered blood pressure, and overall, they’re experiencing better managed chronic conditions.”
“We have had support from the ResearchNB at every step and it has been fundamental to the TH@CLINIC Project’s success,” says Jbilou. “Having the ResearchNB backing us has given us the credibility we needed to forge ahead and attract additional funders who trust the quality of research we’re leading.”
The TH@CLINIC has also received funding from the provincial government, the trucking industry, WorkSafeNB, and Medavie Foundation.
TH@CLINIC researchers expect to complete the project in 2025 with a goal of 200 truckers participating. They further hope to recruit more LGBTQ2S+ drivers.
“Having ResearchNB backing us has given us the credibility we needed to forge ahead and attract additional funders who trust the quality of research we’re leading.”