Evaluation of a treadmill test for predicting the aerobic capacity of firefighters

Mier, Constance M.; Gibson, Ann L.

doi:10.1093/occmed/kqh008

Cited by 52 publications

(61 citation statements)

References 18 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…In addition, one in three male firefighters in the current study did not meet a generally accepted minimum cardiorespiratory fitness level of 42.0 mL/kg/min for firefighters (Donovan et al 2009;National Fire Protection Agency 2013;Sothmann et al 1992), even though the VO 2 max values may have been overestimated due to the use of the Gerkin submaximal test (Mier and Gibson 2004). These findings are alarming given that the fire department of the current study has one of the strongest and long-lasting WEFIT programs among US fire departments.…”

mentioning

confidence: 69%

Comparison of body mass index with waist circumference and skinfold-based percent body fat in firefighters: adiposity classification and associations with cardiovascular disease risk factors

Choi

Steiss

García-Rivas

et al. 2015

Int Arch Occup Environ Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

firefighters had substantially higher CVD risk profiles. Obesity and overweight were less prevalent in female and Asian male firefighters. Conclusions BMI overestimated the prevalence of total overweight and obesity among male firefighters, compared to WC and skinfold-based PBF. Overweight by BMI needs to be more narrowly defined, or the prevalence of BMI-based overweight (27.5-29.9 kg/m 2 ) should be reported additionally for prevention of CVD among male firefighters.Keywords California · Professional firefighters · Obesity · Overweight · Ethnicity · Gender IntroductionObesity is a well-documented risk factor for chronic diseases such as hypertension, coronary heart disease, osteoarthritis, dyslipidemia, type II diabetes, some cancers as well as increased mortality (Flegal et al. 2013 . The prevalence of obesity in the working population of the USA as in the general population has increased, particularly over the last three decades (Caban et al. 2005). Male firefighters are among the top three occupational groups with the highest obesity prevalence in the USA (Caban et al. 2005;Choi et al. 2011;Haddock et al. 2011). As a result, overweight and obesity is an important occupational health issue to be urgently addressed for the 1.1 million US firefighters ) who are at high risk of on-duty cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality (Geibe et al. 2008;Kales et al. 2007) and musculoskeletal injuries Poplin et al. 2012). AbstractPurpose This study aims to examine whether body mass index (BMI) overestimates the prevalence of overweight or obese firefighters when compared to waist circumference (WC) and skinfold-based percent body fat (PBF) and to investigate differential relationships of the three adiposity measures with other biological cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors. Methods The adiposity of 355 (347 males and eight females) California firefighters was assessed using three different measures. Other CVD risk factors (high blood pressure, high lipid profiles, high glucose, and low VO 2 max) of the firefighters were also clinically assessed. Results The prevalence of total overweight and obesity was significantly (p < 0.01) higher by BMI (80.4 %) than by WC (48.7 %) and by PBF (55.6 %) in male firefighters. In particular, the prevalence of overweight firefighters was much higher (p < 0.01) by BMI (57.3 %) than by WC (24.5 %) and PBF (38.3 %). 60-64 % of male firefighters who were assessed as normal weight by WC and PBF were misclassified as overweight by BMI. When overweight by BMI was defined as 27.5-29.9 kg/m 2 (vs. the standard definition of 25.0-29.9 kg/m 2 ), the agreement of the adiposity classification increased between BMI and other two adiposity measures. Obese firefighters had the highest CVD risk profiles across all three adiposity measures. Only when overweight by BMI was defined narrowly, overweight

show abstract

mentioning

confidence: 69%

Comparison of body mass index with waist circumference and skinfold-based percent body fat in firefighters: adiposity classification and associations with cardiovascular disease risk factors

Choi

Steiss

García-Rivas

et al. 2015

Int Arch Occup Environ Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…12 The study design was cross-sectional, and measurement of changes in CIMT over time through a longitudinal study would have been preferable, as risk factors for progression of CIMT have been shown to vary from those predicting CIMT itself. 46 Use of the Gerkin submaximal treadmill test in Phoenix and for Tucson firefighters aged 40 years and younger may have led to overestimation ofVO 2 max , 47 and use of maximal treadmill testing for Tucson firefighters older than 40 years introduced a difference between the two study sites. It is not clear the extent to which these issues affected our ability to accurately assess the effect of MET on CIMT.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Risk Factors for Subclinical Atherosclerosis in Firefighters

Burgess

Kurzius-Spencer

Gerkin

et al. 2012

Journal of Occupational &Amp; Environmental Medicine

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Also, in the study of Davies et al (2008), maximum oxygen consumption among male students of emergency care was estimated as 47.9 ml/kg/min (7). Moreover, in other studies by Greg, Michael, Mark, and Mier maximum oxygen consumption was obtained 37 (ml/kg/min), 48 (ml/kg/min), 1.57 (l/min), and 48.8 (ml/kg/min) respectively (8–11). As the results of these studies show, only the maximum oxygen consumption among staff has been estimated, and few studies have examined how individuals are selected commensurate with job.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 69%

Step Test: a method for evaluating maximum oxygen consumption to determine the ability kind of work among students of medical emergencies

et al. 2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

IntroductionMaximum oxygen consumption shows the maximum oxygen rate of muscle oxygenation that is acceptable in many cases, to measure the fitness between person and the desired job. Given that medical emergencies are important, and difficult jobs in emergency situations require people with high physical ability and readiness for the job, the aim of this study was to evaluate the maximum oxygen consumption, to determine the ability of work type among students of medical emergencies in Qazvin in 2016.MethodsThis study was a descriptive – analytical, and in cross-sectional type conducted among 36 volunteer students of medical emergencies in Qazvin in 2016. After necessary coordination for the implementation of the study, participants completed health questionnaires and demographic characteristics and then the participants were evaluated with step tests of American College of Sport Medicine (ACSM). Data analysis was done by SPSS version 18 and U-Mann-Whitney tests, Kruskal-Wallis and Pearson correlation coefficient.ResultsAverage of maximum oxygen consumption of the participants was estimated 3.15±0.50 liters per minute. 91.7% of medical emergencies students were selected as appropriate in terms of maximum oxygen consumption and thus had the ability to do heavy and too heavy work. Average of maximum oxygen consumption evaluated by the U-Mann-Whitney test and Kruskal-Wallis, had significant relationship with age (p<0.05) and weight groups (p<0.001). There was a significant positive correlation between maximum oxygen consumption with weight and body mass index (p<0.001).ConclusionThe results of this study showed that demographic variables of weight and body mass index are the factors influencing the determination of maximum oxygen consumption, as most of the students had the ability to do heavy, and too heavy work. Therefore, people with ability to do average work are not suitable for medical emergency tasks.

show abstract

Evaluation of a treadmill test for predicting the aerobic capacity of firefighters

Cited by 52 publications

References 18 publications

Comparison of body mass index with waist circumference and skinfold-based percent body fat in firefighters: adiposity classification and associations with cardiovascular disease risk factors

Comparison of body mass index with waist circumference and skinfold-based percent body fat in firefighters: adiposity classification and associations with cardiovascular disease risk factors

Risk Factors for Subclinical Atherosclerosis in Firefighters

Step Test: a method for evaluating maximum oxygen consumption to determine the ability kind of work among students of medical emergencies

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About