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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Professional drivers and private drivers from Bogotá: Diagnosis of sociodemographic conditions and general well-being [exploratory analysis]

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espanolA pesar que los accidentes de trafico son reconocidos mundialmente como un problema de salud publica y que en Colombia representan la segunda causa de muerte violenta, hay una falta de investigacion en torno al tema, hecho que senala la importancia de iniciar acciones concretas. En consonancia con lo anterior, el objetivo de la presente investigacion fue estudiar dos tipos de poblacion de conductores, a saber, conductores profesionales y particulares en la ciudad de Bogota, mediante un analisis y comparacion de su situacion sociodemografica y de salud general. Con tales fines, una investigacion de corte transversal fue llevada a cabo, en la que participaron 500 conductores (250 profesionales y 250 particulares) colombianos entre los 16 y los 72 anos de edad. Los resultados revelan que los conductores profesionales tienen mas edad, mas experiencia de conduccion, ingresos salariales inferiores, menores niveles educativos y reportan un mayor numero de accidentes en comparacion con los conductores particulares. Por su parte, los conductores particulares presentan peores indices de salud, bienestar y menos habilidades en la conduccion. Estos hallazgos indican tendencias sociodemograficas ya reportadas en la literatura para los conductores profesionales, pero divergen en cuanto a salud y bienestar. En conclusion, se requieren mas estudios para aumentar el conocimiento sobre diferencias entre tipos de conductores y sobre el papel de los factores de riesgo y de proteccion con relacion a la accidentalidad vial, con miras a su prevencion y reduccion. EnglishEven though traffic collisions (motor vehicle collisions (MVC) or traffic accidents) are recognized worldwide as a public health problem and are in Colombia the second cause of violent deaths, there is a lack of research on the topic, which is not only a matter of concern but also points out the importance of initiating concrete actions. Consequently, the aim of the present research is to study two types of populations of drivers, that is, professional and particular drivers in Bogota, through an analysis and comparison of their sociodemographic situation and their general health conditions. In order to do that a cross-sectional investigation was carried out, in which 500 Colombian drivers (250 professional drivers and 250 particular drivers), with ages between 16 and 72 years, participated. The results showed that professional drivers are older, have more driving experience, lower income, and lower educational levels, and report a higher number of accidents/collisions than particular drivers. As for particular drivers, they have worse rates of health, welfare, and less driving skills. These findings indicate sociodemographic trends already reported in the literature on professional drivers but diverge regarding health and well-being. In conclusion, further studies are required in order to enhance knowledge about the differences between typologies of drivers and about the role of the risk and protective factors regarding road accidents, in order to improve prevention and to reduce the number of collisions.