Wildland firefighter work history and clinical indicators of cardiovascular health

Objective To determine the association between the occupational history as a wildland firefighter (WFF) and clinical indicators of cardiovascular health. Methods Among 2862 WFFs, we evaluated associations between the number of total days assigned on fire and high-risk categories of three clinically measured cardiovascular indicators. Results Almost one-third (32%) of WFFs had one or more clinical measures that would place them in high-risk categories for body mass index, blood pressure, and total cholesterol. WFF work history was associated with some of these measures: odds ratio (and 95% confidence interval) for highest versus lowest tertile of days on fire were 1.4 (1.2, 1.8) and 1.2 (1.0, 1.5) for high-risk categories of body mass index and cholesterol, respectively. Conclusion More frequent screening and targeted health promotion programs for WFFs are warranted to increase awareness of cardiovascular risk and prevention strategies.