Study Investigates Screening Tool for Sleep Apnea in Professional Drivers
8/30/2011
Somerville, MA...Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is the most common medical cause of excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) and is associated with a two- to seven-fold increase in the risk of motor vehicle crashes. In a new study published online by the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, researchers from Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health investigated whether a recognized research tool, the psychomotor vigilance test (PVT), could be used as a novel screening tool to ide...
Researchers Find Majority of Fire and Ambulance Recruits Overweight or Obese
3/19/2010
Boston, MA... Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM), Boston Medical Center, Harvard University and Cambridge Health Alliance found that more than 75 percent of emergency responder candidates for fire and ambulance services in Massachusetts are either overweight or obese. The findings, which appear online today in the journal Obesity , have significant consequences for public health and safety. Emergency responders (firefighters, ambulance personnel, and police) are expected ...
Obesity Linked to Dangerous Sleep Apnea in Truck Drivers
3/10/2009
Somerville, MA... Truck crashes are a significant public health hazard causing thousands of deaths and injuries each year, with driver fatigue and sleepiness being major causes. A new study has confirmed previous findings that obesity-driven testing strategies identify commercial truck drivers with a high likelihood of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and suggests that mandating OSA screenings could reduce the risk of truck crashes. "Truck drivers with sleep apnea are much more likely to fall asleep at the...