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. 2020 Jun;62(6):398-402.
doi: 10.1097/JOM.0000000000001846.

Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factor Changes Over 5 Years Among Male and Female US Firefighters

Denise L Smith  1 , Elliot Graham, Donald Stewart, Kevin C Mathias
Affiliations

Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factor Changes Over 5 Years Among Male and Female US Firefighters

Denise L Smith et al. J Occup Environ Med. 2020 Jun.

Abstract

Objective: To examine changes in measures of cardiovascular health in male and female firefighters over 5 years.

Methods: Anthropometrics and biomarkers of cardiovascular health from two occupational medical exams separated by 5 years (2009 to 2016) were examined from a cohort of US career firefighters in Virginia (males, n = 603; females, n = 69). Changes over time were tested using paired t-tests and McNemar's tests.

Results: At baseline, 29% of males and 10% of females were obese. Body weight and body mass index significantly increased (P < 0.05) in males (2.5 ± 0.2 kg) (0.8 ± 0.1 kg·m) and females (2.5 ± 0.8 kg) (1.0 ± 0.3 kg·m) over the 5-year period. The prevalence of obesity, hypercholesterolemia, hypertensive medication usage, and high blood glucose significantly increased in males over the 5-year period.

Conclusions: While improvements in blood pressure were observed, large percentages of firefighters, particularly males, had cardiovascular disease risk factors that increased over time.

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References

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