Evaluation of sleep apnea and smoking in drivers

Aim and objective Smoking is a potential risk factor for sleep apnea, which increases the risk of health problems and accidents in drivers. The aim of this study was to determine relationship between smoking and sleep apnea. Methods This cross-sectional study was performed on 196 minibus drivers in the city of Aydın. Data were collected with a questionnaire. STOP-Bang questionnaire, adapted to Turkish by Acar et al., was utilized to evaluate sleep apnea. The questionnaire is composed of eight questions. The responders are asked to mark either yes or no. The scores 5-8, 3-4 and 0-2 for yes are considerate high, moderate and low respectively. Results All the drivers were male, and their mean age was 41,00±9,49 years. Seventy-four percent of the drivers were smokers and 40.3% of the drivers were taking alcohol. The mean duration of smoking was 19.46±8.41 years. Forty-point three percent of the drivers were working in shifts, the mean duration of working per day was 7,02±1,47 hours. Twenty-six-point seven percent of the drivers had a health problem. Based on the analysis of data collected with STOP-bang questionnaire, 9.8% of the drivers had a high score for sleep apnea, 46.1% of the drivers had a moderate score for sleep apnea and 44.1% of the drivers had a low score for sleep apnea. The sleep apnea score was higher in the drivers aged over 50 years, the smoking drivers and the drivers with a health problem. Conclusions Smoking was found to be common in the drivers and to be related to high sleep apnea scores. It can be recommended that drivers should be provided counseling to help them quit smoking and that sleep apnea should be treated. They should also be informed about the risk of accidents due to sleep apnea