Impact of a Hypertension Management/Health Promotion Program on Commercial Driver's License Employees of a Self-Insured Utility Company

Abstract

Objective: 

Federal regulations governing transportation safety disqualify commercial drivers with persistent uncontrolled hypertension. We sought to determine whether a hypertension management and health promotion program designed for commercial drivers improved blood pressure (BP) outcomes among drivers employed by a self-insured utility company.

Methods: 

This retrospective study examined the employment-related medical examinations of 501 randomly selected commercial drivers for measurements of BP, height, and weight taken before and after the intervention.

Results: 

After the program, significantly fewer employees had uncontrolled hypertension according to the Department of Transportation hypertension guidelines (17.2% vs 26.1%, P < 0.01). This improvement was consistent across subgroups defined by diabetes, obesity, and use of antihypertensive medication.

Conclusions: 

An education program improved control of BP among commercial drivers, improving their health and safety, and reducing the number at high risk of medical disqualification.