SHIFT Pilot

SHIFT aims to support lorry drivers to take steps to achieve a healthy lifestyle.

What is the purpose of this study?

In conjunction with Loughborough University, PepsiCo and the Leicester Diabetes Centre, SHIFT aims to support lorry drivers to take steps to achieve a healthy lifestyle.

Research has shown that prolonged sitting can increase the risk of obesity, heart attack, stroke and diabetes. This is relevant to those in the transport industry who have higher levels of poor health compared to other occupations. Earlier phases of the SHIFT study have confirmed that drivers have a number of changeable risk factors which could help to prevent these health issues. We therefore aimed to help address some of these issues with an intervention targeted at lorry drivers.

What does this study involve?

Drivers at PepsiCo were invited to take part in a health check where fasting glucose level, cholesterol, blood pressure, body weight, waist circumference, lung capacity, sitting time and physical activity were measured. They were then invited to take part in SHIFT, a 6 hour education session focussing on healthy lifestyle. Two trained facilitators delivered the session where relevant, up-to-date information about food, physical activity and health issues relating to being a lorry driver, as well as certain lifestyle choices and how these can be managed, were covered. Participants received the results from their health check so they could identify if they needed, or wanted, to change any aspect of their lifestyle or health. The format of the day was interactive, contained a physical activity session and a variety of food-related activities as well as providing relevant tools, including a pedometer and ‘CAB workout’ kit to help participants lead a healthy lifestyle and become more active.

63 drivers were recruited into 11 sessions. 6 managers also took part in a separate session. 

Feedback from Participants

Feedback from participants was extremely positive. The main messages participants reported they took away included:

"Little changes make a big difference"
"You can help yourself"
"My health is MY responsibility"

Other comments included:

"A well presented easy to understand day, I very much appreciated it"
"Very interesting, covered things I wouldn't have thought about"
"Fun while learning"

Whats Next

Participants will be invited to take part in another health check after 3 months, so we are currently awaiting the results.