Introduction: Emergency 9-1-1 incident data are recorded voluntarily within fire-department-specific computer-aided dispatch systems. The National Fire Incident Reporting System serves as a repository for these data, but inconsistency and variability in reporting practices across departments often lead to challenges in data quality and utility. This study aims to enhance emergency incident categorization and explore the feasibility of an automated system using free-text incident data from the National Fire Operations Reporting System (NFORS).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Work from home (WFH) is increasingly common, although 24-hour movement behaviors during WFH have rarely been studied. The goal of this study was to compare behaviors among WFH and office-based desk workers.
Methods: This was a secondary analysis of baseline data from the RESET BP randomized clinical trial among inactive desk workers from 2017-2022 ( N = 275).
Objectives: Sedentary behaviour (SB) is related to lower worker health-related quality of life (HRQOL), mental health and productivity. However, it is unknown whether reducing SB improves these outcomes. This study assessed whether a 3-month SB reduction intervention improved or was associated with dose-response changes in workplace satisfaction, productivity, mood and HRQOL.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: Paradoxical associations between high occupational physical activity (OPA) and cardiovascular disease may be explained by exaggerated cardiovascular responses from high work-related stress or low worker fitness.
Methods: OPA, blood pressure (BP), heart rate (HR), and rate-pressure product (RPP; HR × BP) were measured objectively for 24 hours in 19 male workers. Work-related stress was measured using the Stress in General Scale.
Objectives: While previous research has utilized remote delivery of yoga interventions, no research has specifically interrogated the effectiveness of remote yoga intervention delivery. In this secondary analysis of weight-maintenance trial data, we examined participant perceptions of essential yoga properties across in-person and remote formats, hypothesizing that perceptions would not differ following remote delivery.
Methods: 24 women with overweight or obesity (34.
Background: Physical activity for any purpose counts toward meeting Physical Activity Guidelines (PAG). However, national surveillance systems traditionally focus on leisure-time physical activity. There is an incomplete understanding of the association between meeting PAG in leisure time and occupation activity level among US workers.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAims: Leisure time physical activity (LTPA) confers cardiovascular health benefits, while occupational physical activity (OPA) may have paradoxically negative health associations. This study tested the explanatory hypothesis that unfavourable cardiac remodelling may result from chronic OPA-induced cardiovascular strain.
Methods And Results: Longitudinal associations of OPA and left ventricular (LV) structure and function were examined in 1462 participants {50.
Background: Psychological stress is recognized as an important modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Despite its potential significance, few to no studies have evaluated the association between stress, stress mindset, and CVD risk factors among rural first responders. The objectives of this study were to identify relationships between general stress, stress mindset, and CVD risk factors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Differential effects on fitness are hypothesized to contribute to the opposing health effects of leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) and occupational physical activity (OPA). As such, this study examined cross-sectional and longitudinal associations of fitness with LTPA and OPA.
Methods: This study examined fitness associations with LTPA and OPA across 13 yr in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults study (years 7 (baseline), 10, 15, and 20 (follow-up) examinations).
Background: Firefighters are at high risk for nonfatal and fatal occupational injuries. While some past research has quantified firefighter injuries using various data sources, Ohio workers' compensation injury claims data largely have not been used.
Methods: Public and private firefighter claims, including volunteer and career firefighters, from Ohio's workers' compensation data for 2001-2017 were identified based on occupational classification codes and manual review of the occupation title and injury description.
Objectives: We assessed sedentary behavior (SB) patterns and examined its associations, by domain, with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk measures in desk workers ( N = 273).
Methods: Sedentary behavior was measured by activPAL3 and partitioned into occupational and nonoccupational SB. Cardiovascular disease risk measures included blood pressure, pulse wave velocity, heart rate, and heart rate variability.
Transl J Am Coll Sports Med
February 2023
Introduction/purpose: Sedentary behavior (SB) is common in desk-based work and prolonged periods of SB are associated with negative health outcomes. This study assessed associations between workplace characteristics and setting and movement patterns during working hours.
Methods: This secondary analysis used baseline data from the Reducing Sedentary Behavior to Decrease Blood Pressure (RESET BP) clinical trial which enrolled inactive, desk-based workers with elevated blood pressure (=271; mean age: 45.
Int J Occup Saf Ergon
December 2023
Postural imbalance can result from hyperthermia-mediated muscular fatigue and is a major factor contributing to injuries from falling. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of exercise-induced hyperthermia and the impact of cooling on postural balance while wearing firefighters' protective clothing (FPC) in a hot environment. A portable force platform measured postural balance characterized by postural sway patterns using center of pressure metrics.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Environ Res Public Health
June 2022
This study compared exercise performance and comfort while wearing an N95 filtering facepiece respirator (N95), cloth mask, or no intervention control for source control during a maximal graded treadmill exercise test (GXT). Twelve Division 1 athletes (50% female, age = 20.1 ± 1.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWorkplace Health Saf
February 2022
: The physical activity (PA) health paradox hypothesizes that occupational physical activity (OPA) and leisure time PA have differential cardiovascular health effects due to increased cardiovascular load without adequate recovery; however, research describing worker PA lacks high-quality objective OPA measurement. This study aimed to objectively describe PA profiles of men reporting high OPA and make comparisons to aerobic PA and OPA recommendations. : Male food service, material moving, health care, or maintenance workers wore activity (ActiGraph and activPAL) and heart rate monitors for 7 days.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOccup Environ Med
February 2022
Objectives: Recent evidence suggests that occupational physical activity (OPA) is associated with adverse cardiovascular health, whereas leisure time physical activity is protective. This study explored explanatory physiological mechanisms.
Methods: Nineteen males (68% white, age=46.
Firefighters' protective clothing (FPC) can limit human thermoregulation due to limited water vapor permeability and insulation. This study investigated the effect of cooling on the physiological responses and probability of hyperthermia in subjects wearing FPC during exercise in a hot environment. Twelve males participated in this study.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOccup Environ Med
October 2021
Background: Emerging evidence, predominately from European and Asian countries, describes opposing effects of occupational physical activity (OPA) and leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) on cardiovascular health. This analysis examined cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevalence associated with OPA and LTPA.
Methods: This cross-sectional analysis of 2015 National Health Interview Survey data (n=16 974) employed logistic regression to estimate odds (OR) of self-reported CVD (coronary heart disease, heart attack, stroke or angina) with self-reported total occupational activity (TOA), occupational exertion (OE), occupational standing and walking (OSW) and LTPA.
Firefighting is physically and mentally strenuous, requiring rapid, appropriate decision-making in hot environments. Intact cognitive function is imperative to firefighters' effectiveness and safety. The study purpose was to investigate the effect of hyperthermia and the effect of body cooling on sustained attention and response inhibition while wearing firefighters' personal protective ensembles after exercise in a hot environment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Individual social support is positively related to physical activity participation. However, less is known about how neighborhood-level social structures relate to physical activity participation.
Methods: We analyzed 2017 National Health Interview Survey data for adult participants who completed all questions on physical activity and neighborhood cohesion (N = 23,006).
Am J Health Promot
March 2020
Purpose: To examine differences in activity patterns across employment and occupational classifications.
Design: Cross-sectional.
Setting: A 2005-2006 Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study.
This study aimed to determine if trunk posture during walking is related to increases in rectal temperature (T). 24 males treadmill walked in one of four conditions (1): 30 min at 3.0 mph and 0% grade, 20 °C and 50% relative humidity (RH), wearing healthcare worker (HCW) PPE; (2): 30 min at 3.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Exerc Nutr
January 2018
Introduction: Elevated ambient temperature and personal protective clothing (PPC) induce physiological strain which may be counteracted by heat acclimation. The purpose of this study was to determine if 5-day heat acclimation training (HAT) improves thermal and perceptual responses while wearing chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) PPC.
Methods: Nine healthy men completed a heat stress test (walking for one hour with CBRN PPC) in 35°C and 50% relative humidity (RH) before and after 5-day HAT.