Lifestyle and safety practices of firefighters and their relation to cardiovascular risk factors

Details

• Personal Author:
  Alexander, Barbara M. ; Davis, Kermit G. ; Eastlake AC ; He X ; Knipper BS
• Description:
  BACKGROUND: In the United States, over 50% of the deaths of on-duty firefighters are classified as sudden cardiac deaths. A holistic view of the multiple risk factors and their relation to the prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is necessary to determine a baseline for prevention. METHODS: This study surveyed 154 firefighters in a large Midwestern county about their individual exposure to particulates, noise, heat stress, skin contamination, and physical stress; lifestyle factors such as exercise, diet, smoking, and alcohol consumption; health status; and demographic factors. RESULTS: Consumption of whole grains and alcohol were associated with a reduction of the risk of heart disease, while higher Body Mass Index (BMI) scores and increasing age were associated with increased risk of heart disease. CONCLUSIONS: Although firefighters are exposed to substantial occupational risks, only lifestyle factors were found to significantly predict CVD and related health issues. BMI is a modifiable risk factor, which, if controlled, could appreciably improve health outcomes. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Age Factors Body Weight Cardiovascular Diseases Cardiovascular System Demography Diet Firefighters Mortality Occupational Health Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Surveys And Questionnaires

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• Keywords:
  Age-factors Author Keywords: Cardiovascular Disease Biological-function Biological-systems Body-weight Body Mass Index Cardiac-function Cardiovascular-function Cardiovascular-system Cardiovascular-system-disease Cardiovascular-system-disorders Demographic-characteristics Disease-prevention Exposure Fire-fighters Fire-fighting Firefighters Health-surveys High Cholesterol Mortality-data Mortality-rates Physical-exercise Risk-analysis Risk-factors Safety-practices Weight-factors Weight-measurement Work-practices

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• ISSN:
  1051-9815
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  285-294
• Volume:
  50
• Issue:
  2
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20047331
• Citation:
  Work 2015 Feb; 50(2):285-294
• Contact Point Address:
  Barbara Alexander, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 5555 Ridge Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45213, USA
• Email:
  BAlexander@cdc.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2015
• Performing Organization:
  University of Cincinnati
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Work
• End Date:
  20260630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:b2b8586436582751c6f64901ce1966c56cd6f3960e0621e30bbdaa68f9faff290c896030ed4c908cd1d8186b36683ff371e78b35ca035a7873ebf5ddca4c637f
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/202441/cdc_202441_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 123.50 KB ]