Obesity in the fire service: An inside look at the perceptions of firefighters towards obesity and other health issues

Abstract

Background Despite being an extremely physically demanding job, there exists a high prevalence of obesity for members of the fire service nationally based on recent studies. The fire service has a unique culture and environment that likely influences behaviors and attitudes among the members, and in turn impacts their health.Objectives Based on previous research we hypothesized that cultural and structural aspects of the fire service contribute to the rise in obesity among its members. The primary aims of this research project were: (1) to determine the current extent, or prevalence, of obesity among members of a large eastern US fire department (“X Fire Department”), and (2) to elucidate aspects of the physical and cultural environment that may contribute to obesity risk among members (specifically, diet, exercise, and sleep). Methods This two-phase, mixed-methods study involved conducting qualitative interviews with (n=17) members of the X Fire Department (Phase I) and collecting online questionnaire data (n=120) from a broader department-wide sample of 1,400 active members.Results The data gathered in Phase II indicated that out of the (n=120) members that participated in the study the average BMI was 29 with approximately 40% of the respondents falling into the category of obese. The data indicated that while overall diet and exercise has improved in the department in recent years there are still factors impacting the diet, exercise, and sleep levels of the members that contribute to risk for obesity and other adverse health conditions.Conclusion There are factors in the X Fire Department that are negatively impacting the members’ ability to eat, exercise, and sleep properly, which in turn we believe is directly attributable to the high percentage of obesity in our study. Our hope is that this research will highlight the areas that require immediate action and to add to existing research in order to instill in a change in other fire departments nationally.

Knowledge of and Attitudes toward Health and Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors among Firefighters in Cape Town, South Africa

“…These authors also stated that the social and environmental factors negatively affected firefighters, as these attitudes and behaviours were historically passed down from generations of firefighters. 22 This can be seen in the present study, where age was a significant predictor of attitudes toward physical activity, where younger firefighters had more positive attitudes toward physical activity compared to older firefighters. Interestingly, increased overall health knowledge and knowledge of health-risk behaviours were not relate to an increase in attitudes toward diet.…”

“…Another important barrier was lack of opportunities to exercise. 24 In contrast, Bucala et al 22 reported that firefighters knew about the benefits of physical activity, but many chose not to exercise, as they believed that it was their personal choice. These authors also stated that the social and environmental factors negatively affected firefighters, as these attitudes and behaviours were historically passed down from generations of firefighters.…”

“…However, the present study reported that age and years of experience had a significant negative relationship attitudes toward health, with younger firefighters having more positive attitudes toward health. Bucala et al 22 reported that, despite all of the barrier's firefighters faced regarding sleep, diet, and physical activity, their overall health was a personal choice. This finding is similar to the results in the present study, where the health knowledge of firefighters was high, but a significant difference was present in health knowledge and attitudes toward health, especially among older hypertensive firefighters.…”

“…Bucala et al . 22 reported that, despite all of the barrier’s firefighters faced regarding sleep, diet, and physical activity, their overall health was a personal choice. This finding is similar to the results in the present study, where the health knowledge of firefighters was high, but a significant difference was present in health knowledge and attitudes toward health, especially among older hypertensive firefighters.…”

“…This could be related to peer pressure and unhealthy behaviours that were generally role-modeled by more senior firefighters. 2 , 22 …”