Effects of Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors, Musculoskeletal Health, and Physical Fitness on Occupational Performance in Firefighters—A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Background: Firefighting is a strenuous occupation, which necessitates that firefighters stay in good physical condition and maintain adequate cardiovascular and musculoskeletal fitness to perform their duties with minimal health and safety risks. The aim of this review is to determine the effects of cardiovascular disease risk factors, musculoskeletal health, and physical fitness on the occupational performance of firefighters. Methods: PubMed/Medline, SCOPUS, Web of Science, EBSCOHost, and ScienceDirect were searched without time-restriction. The appraisal tool for cross-sectional studies and the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme toolkit were used to conduct the methodological assessment. Data were analyzed using Review Manager 5.3, and MedCalc® statistical software. Results: Age had a moderate effect on occupational performance (Z = 5.15, p < 0.001), whereas gender had a large effect size on occupational performance (Z = 4.24, p < 0.001). A significant moderate negative correlation was found between cardiorespiratory fitness and occupational performance (R = −0.584, p < 0.001). Significant low negative correlations were found between upper body endurance (R = −0.344, p < 0.001), abdominal endurance (R = −0.308, p < 0.001), grip strength (R = −0.421, p < 0.001), upper body strength (R = −0.318, p < 0.001), and lower body strength (R = −0.216, p = 0.020) and occupational performance. Conclusions: Aged firefighters with poor body composition and lower levels of physical fitness performed worse on all occupational performance tasks.

A Description of Exercise Programs Implemented During a Firefighter Training Academy

“…43 The 12-MET recommendation is important considering the inverse relationships between aerobic fitness and risk for cardiovascular episodes and physical injury. [13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20] In the present study, est-VO 2 max improved between pre and mid before plateauing at the post measurement, which is in line with previous training academy studies. 23,25,29,31,32,37,39 Local muscular endurance, which can be measured via push-up repetitions to failure, has been strongly correlated with completing simulated firefighting tasks with greater efficiency.…”

“…Because of the high cardiovascular and metabolic demands of fire suppression tasks, 2–4 the National Fire Protection Association recommends a minimal cardiovascular fitness level of 42 mL·kg −1 ·min −1 (12 METs) 43 . The 12-MET recommendation is important considering the inverse relationships between aerobic fitness and risk for cardiovascular episodes and physical injury 13–20 . In the present study, est-VO 2 max improved between pre and mid before plateauing at the post measurement, which is in line with previous training academy studies 23,25,29,31,32,37,39 .…”

“…It is therefore logical that those with superior levels of physical fitness, such as higher maximal oxygen consumption, muscular endurance, strength, and power, perform better on simulated fireground tasks 5–12 . From a health perspective, there is also evidence that firefighter physical fitness is associated with lower risk for musculoskeletal injury, cardiovascular disease, and sudden cardiac episodes 13–20 . The latter point is critical as myocardial infarction (eg, sudden cardiac death) is consistently reported as the primary cause of death in the firefighting community 3,19,21 .…”

Características Antropométricas, Capacidad de Salto Vertical y Resistencia de Carrera de Bomberos, En Servicio Activo, con Relación a la Edad

“…La prevalencia de sobrepeso y obesidad se ha descrito como un factor que muestra relación con la generación de factores de riesgo cardiovascular y las enfermedades cardiacas asociadas (Nam et al, 2019). En este sentido, Ras et al (2022) señala que bomberos de mayor edad, presentan una peor composición corporal, con bajos niveles de condición física y del rendimiento ocupacional a la hora de ejecutar tareas. Los resultados del presente estudio sugieren la necesidad de implementar planes integrales de entrenamiento, en conjunto con dietas que permitan optimizar la condición física y la composición corporal de los bomberos.…”

Posture Evaluation of Firefighters During Simulated Fire Suppression Tasks

“…In recent years, firefighter Posture Evaluation of Firefighters During Simulated Fire Suppression Tasks tara kajaks, phD 1 , christina Ziebart, pt, phD 2 , Vickie Galea, phD 3 , Brenda Vrkljan, ot, phD 3 , and Joy c. MacDermid, pt, phD 2,3,4 legislation has required that candidates pass rigorous pre-employment entrance exams, such as the Canadian Physical Assessment Test (CPAT), that help ensure that they meet job fitness standards at the time of hire. For currently employed firefighters, health and fitness maintenance guidelines (Michaelides et al, 2008(Michaelides et al, , 2011Pawlak et al, 2015) are available through many North American firefighter associations, and worldwide (Ras et al, 2022(Ras et al, , 2023, to help promote healthy lifestyles and workplace safety.…”