Firefighters Are More Physically Active On-Duty Compared to Off-Duty.

Allison M Barry,Michael J Carper,Tanis J Walch,Katie L Lyman,Nathan D Dicks,Christi R Mcgeorge

doi:10.3390/ijerph17249380

Abstract

Physical inactivity, coupled with increasing obesity levels, in firefighters plays a key role in aggregated cardiovascular events. The purpose of this study was to investigate device-measured physical activity (PA) for firefighters while on- and off-duty to have a clearer understanding of their overall PA level. Methods: Twenty-nine career firefighters participated in this non-experimental, within-subjects study by wearing an accelerometer to assess PA intensities and step-count. Obesity was classified using body mass index (BMI). Dependent t-tests were used to examine mean differences in PA intensities when on- and off-duty. Pearson product-moment correlations were used to assess the association between PA intensities when on and off-duty. Results: According to the World Health Organization BMI categorizations, 20 firefighters were overweight, 9 were obese, and, thus, none were normal weight. Only light PA (LPA) was statistically significant (p = 0.026) for on- and off-duty days with a small-to-medium effect size (d = 0.47), meaning that on average, firefighters performed more minutes of LPA when on-duty compared to off. There was a significant difference between on- (9060.2 ± 2636.4) and off-duty (7495.3 ± 2835.8) daily step counts (p = 0.011). Conclusion: As the results demonstrate, there is a dire need for increased PA levels in firefighters while on- and off-duty.

Highlights

Physical inactivity is currently the fourth leading cause of death worldwide, which classifies the condition as a global issue [1,2]
The current study demonstrates firefighters engage in a large amount of sedentary time, it should be highlighted that firefighters are expected to engage in physiologically demanding tasks with no advanced warning, which is very different from the average office worker
Based on the results of this study, and with the absence of published device-measured physical activity (PA) data in firefighters, we conclude that there is a need for increased PA levels in career, full-time firefighters while both on- and off-duty

Summary

Introduction

Physical inactivity is currently the fourth leading cause of death worldwide, which classifies the condition as a global issue [1,2]. As the general public attempts to mitigate a rising obesity epidemic, firefighters are exhibiting increased obesity prevalence within their ranks [3]. As is the case in the general public, excessive body weight in firefighters predisposes them to cardiovascular disease, but may lead to major cardiovascular events (e.g., myocardial infarction) while performing necessary job duties [3]. In the past 38 years, the number one contributor to on-duty firefighter fatalities was sudden cardiac death [4]. The overall number of on-duty deaths has declined, the risk of cardiovascular events remains relatively high.

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion