Comparison Of Dietary Habits Between Volunteer Firefighters And Non-firefighters

Abstract

As the global burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD) rises, public health-related interventions aimed at prevention have gained increased attention. Physicians and public health officials may be unaware that CVD or cardiac events are related to more than half of the line-of-duty deaths in firefighters (FF). Diet is one of the main modifiable CVD risk factors, yet poor diet and the risk factors it contributes to, including obesity, continue to be an issue as the prevalence of obesity is high in FF. Dietary patterns can also influence other risk factors like blood pressure, lipid levels, body composition and glucose metabolism. However, healthy diets are not always feasible for FF, due to the fast-paced unpredictable nature of work, and thus FF often rely on quick meals that may not be nutritiously optimal. Limited research has examined FF dietary intake and preferences. PURPOSE: To examine the dietary habits of local volunteer FF and compare these to adult non-FF in the area. METHODS: 76 adults (36 FF, 37.0 ±11 years, BMI 30.4 ±5.7 kg/m2; 40 non-FF, 30.6 ±11 years, BMI 28.3 ±5.7 kg/m2) were studied. All participants completed a 3-day dietary recall, and had height and weight measured. Three-day diet recalls were obtained from volunteer FF who attended dietary workshops in their firehouse and from non-FF adults in the area who were interested to find out their dietary habits. Data was analyzed using Diet Analysis Plus. RESULTS: Macronutrient composition of the diets were similar. The FF average diet was 2037.9 ±597.3 calories; including 34.8% fat, 46.0% carbohydrates, and 17.8% protein. The average diet for non-FF adults was 2185.7 ±405.9 calories; including 34.1% fat, 48.6% carbohydrates, and 17.8% protein. FF had significantly lower levels of vitamin B-6 (1.7 ±0.9 vs 2.3 ±1.2 mg), folate (498.3 ±253 vs 685.7 ±375 μg), and vitamin C (50.8 ±48.5 vs 111.9 ±87.8 mg) intake compared to non-FF, respectively, p<0.05. FF diets were lacking in several key micronutrients, including calcium (961.8 ± 410 mg), magnesium (227.1 ±138mg), potassium (2177.7 ± 1059 mg), and vitamin D (4.2 ±4.6 μg). For these, >90% of the FF diets did not meet recommended levels. CONCLUSION: These data suggests that volunteer FF exhibit deficiencies in several micronutrients and may benefit from diets that encourage increased consumption of fruits and vegetables.