This paper presents a camera-based prototype sensor for detecting fatigue and drowsiness in drivers, which are common causes of road accidents. The evaluation of the detector operation involved eight professional truck drivers, who drove the truck simulator twice—i.e., when they were rested and drowsy. The Fatigue Symptoms Scales (FSS) questionnaire was used to assess subjectively perceived levels of fatigue, whereas the percentage of eye closure time (PERCLOS), eye closure duration (ECD), and frequency of eye closure (FEC) were selected as eye closure-associated fatigue indicators, determined from the images of drivers’ faces captured by the sensor. Three alternative models for subjective fatigue were used to analyse the relationship between the raw score of the FSS questionnaire, and the eye closure-associated indicators were estimated. The results revealed that, in relation to the subjective assessment of fatigue, PERCLOS is a significant predictor of the changes observed in individual subjects during the performance of tasks, while ECD reflects the individual differences in subjective fatigue occurred both between drivers and in individual drivers between the ‘rested’ and ‘drowsy’ experimental conditions well. No relationship between the FEC index and the FSS state scale was found.

Numerous risky driving behaviours are considered the main causes of road accidents. Meanwhile, a number of studies conducted so far indicate that perceiving a higher risk in a certain behaviour is associated with a lower tendency to engage in that behaviour. Accordingly, the aim of this study was to examine whether there are differences in specific types of risky behaviours behind the wheel in relation to drivers’ perceptions of road risk. The Road Traffic Behaviour Questionnaires KZD and KZD-P were used to evaluate, respectively, different risky behaviours and risk perceptions in road traffic. Two groups of Polish car drivers with similar average KZD scores but significantly different KZD-P scores, i.e., higher vs. lower, were compared. The profiles of the answers were statistically analysed. It was found that drivers with a lower risk perception were far more likely to engage in those behaviours that are the most commonly reported and directly endanger road safety, e.g., speeding and running a red light. Simultaneously, there were several unsafe driving behaviours, e.g., driving without a seatbelt or speaking on a mobile phone while driving, which were taken regardless of risk perception, i.e., even by the drivers who were aware of their riskiness. The results suggest that risk perception is a significant factor in preventing not all types but only selected hazardous behaviours in road traffic. The significance of the findings for traffic safety as well as ideas for further research in this area are discussed.

Fatigue affects multiple aspects of cognitive performance among drivers. However, even after fatigue builds up, some are still able to maintain the level of behavioral performance. To evaluate these adaptations on the neural network level, we utilized functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Seventeen male professional drivers underwent two fMRI sessions, once while rested and once in a fatigued condition after 10-h of overnight driving. The cognitive task used in the study involved the detection of visual feature conjunctions, namely the shape and the color. There were no significant differences in the task performance between the conditions except for longer reaction times in the fatigued condition. However, we observed substantial differences in the activation patterns during the cognitive task involving selective attention between the conditions. On the global level, we observed a general decrease in activation strength in the fatigued condition, which appeared to be more pronounced in the left hemisphere. On the local level, we observed a (spatially) extended activation of the medial prefrontal regions in the fatigued condition, which reflected increased cognitive control mechanisms compensating for the diminished efficiency of mechanisms involved in meeting task demands.

Objectives: The aim of this article is to assess the health behaviors of Polish Army soldiers participating in the National Health Programme 2016–2020 in relation to types of armed forces, BMI and selected demographic factors. Material and Methods: Anthropometric and questionnaire data...

Background: Proper nutrition has a positive impact on health. Paradoxically, excessive preoccupation with healthy eating may lead to the emergence of abnormal eating behaviours and increase the risk of developing disorders. The aim of this study was to assess the risk of orthorexia (ON) and the prevalence of emotional eating (EE) in military flying personnel of the Polish Air Force in relation to BMI and sociodemographic factors. Methods: This study included 760 soldiers (including 60 females) taking part in the National Health Programme 2021–2025. The ORTO-15 questionnaire and EEQ were used to assess the risk of ON and EE. Results: The risk of ON occurred in 28.9% of military flying personnel and was significantly more frequent in soldiers with a normal weight (46.4%), under 40 years of age (42.7%), and with higher education (42.7%). The prevalence of EE was found in approximately 12.3% of the respondents and was significantly more common in soldiers with diagnosed obesity (17.5%), women (21.7%), and soldiers with higher education (13.6). Other sociodemographic variables did not differentiate the results of the ORTO-15 questionnaire and EEQ. Conclusions: The obtained results indicate that the problem of eating disorders also occurs in military populations. The necessity of continuing research in this area is discussed.