Observational studyMedicine and science in sports and exercise2020
Changes in Firefighter Weight and Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors over Five Years.
Observational study in Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 38 citations in OpenAlex.
- The Prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome and Its Components in Firefighters: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Pooled it
- Prevention of atherosclerotic coronary artery disease in tactical athletes.American journal of preventive cardiology · 2026Review
- Association between parental firefighting status and adverse birth outcomes in Arizona: a cross-sectional study.Occupational and environmental medicine · 2026Article
- Health, safety training, and exposure reduction practices among U. S. fire investigators: a cross-sectional study.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Impact of Age and Years in the Fire Service on Firefighter Health and Physical Performance Outcomes.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Differences in Workloads of Maximal Tasks in Active-Duty Firefighters.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Climbing the Ranks: A Study of Firefighter Health Disparities.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Evaluation of the relationship between occupational-specific task performance and measures of physical fitness, cardiovascular and musculoskeletal health in firefighters.BMC public health · 2024Article
- The Effect of Craniosacral Therapy on Blood Levels of Stress Hormones in Male Firefighter Cadets: A Randomized Clinical Trial.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- A Pilot Study on the Relationship between Cardiovascular Health, Musculoskeletal Health, Physical Fitness and Occupational Performance in Firefighters.European journal of investigation in health, psychology and education · 2022Article
- Low testosterone and cardiometabolic risks in a real-world study of US male firefighters.Scientific reports · 2021Article
- Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors by BMI and Age in United States Firefighters.Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.) · 2021Article
- Differences in 5-year weight change between younger and older US firefighters.BMC public health · 2021Article
- Firefighters Are More Physically Active On-Duty Compared to Off-Duty.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020Article
- A Cross-Sectional Examination of 10-Year Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease Risk Among US Firefighters by Age and Weight Status.Journal of occupational and environmental medicine · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeThis study aimed to assess changes in cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in firefighters who lost, maintained, or gained weight over 5 yr.
methodsAnthropometrics and biomarkers of CVD were measured during two occupational medical exams 4.8 yr apart in 656 career firefighters. Weight change subgroups were loss (decrease of >3% body weight), stable (within ±3% body weight), and gain (increase of >3% body weight). Changes in CVD risk factors in the total sample and within weight change subgroups were tested for statistical significance using paired t-tests.
resultsAfter 5 yr, 12% of the sample lost weight, 38% maintained weight, and 50% gained weight. Firefighters on average had significant increases (P < 0.001) in body weight (2.5 ± 0.2 kg), body mass index (0.8 ± 0.1 kg·m), total cholesterol (5.5 ± 1.4 mg·dL), LDL cholesterol (5.2 ± 1.2 mg·dL), and blood glucose (2.1 ± 0.5 mg·dL). Firefighters who gained weight (6.6 ± 0.2 kg) had significant increases (P < 0.001) in total cholesterol (12.9 ± 1.8 mg·dL), LDL cholesterol (11.1 ± 1.6 mg·dL), and blood glucose (2.9 ± 0.7 mg·dL) with a significant decrease (P ≤ 0.01) in HDL cholesterol (-1.3 ± 0.4 mg·dL). Firefighters who lost weight (-7.2 ± 0.5 kg) had significant decreases (P < 0.05) in total cholesterol (-8.5 ± 3.9 mg·dL), LDL cholesterol (-6.7 ± 3.3 mg·dL), and blood pressure (systolic: -5.3 ± 1.3 mm Hg; diastolic -4.2 ± 1.0 mm Hg) with a significant increase (P < 0.05) in HDL cholesterol (2.3 ± 1.0 mg·dL).
conclusionsAlthough improvements in cardiovascular health among firefighters who lost weight were found, 50% of the sample gained weight with adverse changes in measures of cardiovascular health. Given that sudden cardiac death is the most common cause of duty-related death among firefighters, with increased risk among obese firefighters, the amount of weight gain and the adverse changes in cardiovascular health suggest the need for improvements in health promotion programs for firefighters in the United States.
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Registered trials
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