Study On Road Traffic Injuries And Influencing Factors Among Online Deliverers Based On Mixed Research Methods

Objection:1.To preliminarily investigate the demographic and occupational composition,prevalence of road traffic injury(RTIs)and related influencing factors among online delivery riders in Changsha through quantitative questionnaire survey.2.Taking qualitative interviews as important supplements,we aim to deeply explore the influence that various subjects on the delivery chain have on deliverers’RTIs,the mechanism and relative importance of each factor.3.To propose targeted preventive measures to reduce the occurrences of RTIs among delivery riders based on the results.Methods:Guided by Bronfenbrenners ecosystem theory,mixed research methods were employed to carry out the investigation.1.In the first stage,a cross-sectional survey was conducted using self-designed questionnaires among full-time delivery riders from Meituan and Eleme companies in Changsha by stratified cluster sampling.Epi Data3.0 was used to establish the database,and SPSS26.0 was used for statistical analysis.The composition of delivery riders and the prevalence of traffic injuries were described.χ~2 test and logistic regression were used for univariate and multivariate analyses.2.In the second stage,convenience sampling was adopted to recruit relevant influential groups on the delivery chain of online delivery riders in Changsha for in-depth interviews according to the principle of information saturation.Based on grounded theory,continuous comparative qualitative analyses were conducted on the recordings obtained from interviews using thematic analysis with qualitative analyzing software Nvivo11.According to the process of transforming,coding,classification,conceptualization and theory construction,themes were extracted and inductive conclusions were put forward in the end.Results:1.In the first stage,1192 valid questionnaires(86.25%)were collected.The incidence of RTIs was 13.76%(95%CI:11.80%-15.72%)among deliverers and the incidence of RTIs caused by delivery riders among pedestrian was 4.87%(95%CI:3.65%-6.09%).The risk of RTIs for online deliverers with junior high school and primary school education and below was 1.81 times(95%CI:1.06-3.10)and 2.23 times(95%CI:1.04-4.78)of those with college degree or above,respectively.The risk of RTIs for delivery riders with≥61 daily orders was 3.79 times higher than that of the deliverers with daily orders≤30(95%CI:1.03-13.84).The incidence of RTIs for delivery riders with small food delivery boxes(OR=1.74,95%CI:1.15-2.63)and larger food delivery boxes(OR=1.95,95%CI:1.19-3.19)on the pedals was higher than those without food delivery boxes at the pedals.The risk of RTIs was 1.08 times higher(95%CI:1.02-1.14)for each increase of dangerous riding behavior score.2.In the second stage,a total of 5 rounds,51 non-standardized in-depth interviews were conducted.The status of RTIs among deliverers and influencing factors were extracted as the super-theme,while rider’s own factors,professional factors and environmental factors were taken as sub-themes under the influencing factors,and specific influencing factors under the above types were extracted as third-level or fourth-level themes.The results of interviews suggested that deliverers’risk riding behaviors(violative riding,aggressive riding and neglect riding)were often the direct causes of RTIs.Psychological factors such as time pressure,traffic safety knowledge and salary pursuits acted as major mediating causes for riders’risky riding behaviors,and the imperfection of salary system,riders’hierarchy system,order distribution system,delivery time distribution system,real-time information feedback mechanism and other mechanisms of delivery companies were the root causes for the above psychological states.Conclusions:1.Delivery workers are high-risk groups for road traffic injury,and their dangerous riding behaviors pose heavy threats on pedestrian road safety.2.The educational level of junior high school or below,daily orders≥61,placing delivery boxes at the pedals and dangerous riding behaviors are risk factors for RTIs among delivery riders.3.Risky riding behaviors of delivery drivers are direct causes for RTIs.Time pressure,level of traffic safety knowledge and salary pursuits are main psychological factors mediating deliverers’dangerous riding behaviors,and the imperfect managing systems of delivery companies are root causes for the above psychological states.4.Comprehensive preventive measures with improvements and supervisions of relevant systems in delivery companies as emphasis should be taken to reduce deliverers’risky riding behaviors and the resulting traffic injury risks.