Age-Related Decline in Cardiorespiratory Fitness among Career Firefighters: Modification by Physical Activity and Adiposity
Firefighting is a very hazardous occupation, and strenuous fire duties require high levels of physical fitness. In the general adult population, cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) declines with aging. We sought to investigate the effect of increasing age on CRF in male career firefighters as well as th...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2012-01-01
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| Series: | Journal of Obesity |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/710903 |
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| author | Dorothee M. Baur Costas A. Christophi E. Francis Cook Stefanos N. Kales |
| author_facet | Dorothee M. Baur Costas A. Christophi E. Francis Cook Stefanos N. Kales |
| author_sort | Dorothee M. Baur |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Firefighting is a very hazardous occupation, and strenuous fire duties require high levels of physical fitness. In the general adult population, cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) declines with aging. We sought to investigate the effect of increasing age on CRF in male career firefighters as well as the modifying effects of physical activity and adiposity. We cross-sectionally examined 804 male career firefighters from two Midwestern states. CRF was determined from symptom-limited maximal treadmill exercise testing in metabolic equivalents (METS) following the Bruce protocol. Physical activity self-reports were extracted from responses to a health and lifestyle questionnaire.
We found as expected that CRF declines with advancing age; however, the decline is greatly attenuated among leaner firefighters who report more physical activity. Furthermore, in a linear regression model including age, BMI, and variables describing physical activity behaviors, we could predict CRF (R2=0.6286). The total weekly duration of aerobic exercise as well as the duration of weight lifting sessions both had significant impacts on age-related decline. We conclude that firefighters are more likely to maintain the high levels of CRF needed to safely perform their duties if they engage in frequent exercise and maintain healthy weights. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-3fdc0c5ab28c44df8fa50414f537d3d0 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2090-0708 2090-0716 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2012-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Obesity |
| spelling | doaj-art-3fdc0c5ab28c44df8fa50414f537d3d02025-08-20T03:55:36ZengWileyJournal of Obesity2090-07082090-07162012-01-01201210.1155/2012/710903710903Age-Related Decline in Cardiorespiratory Fitness among Career Firefighters: Modification by Physical Activity and AdiposityDorothee M. Baur0Costas A. Christophi1E. Francis Cook2Stefanos N. Kales3Environmental and Occupational Medicine and Epidemiology (EOME), Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USAEnvironmental and Occupational Medicine and Epidemiology (EOME), Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USADivision of General Internal Medicine and Primary Care, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USAEnvironmental and Occupational Medicine and Epidemiology (EOME), Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USAFirefighting is a very hazardous occupation, and strenuous fire duties require high levels of physical fitness. In the general adult population, cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) declines with aging. We sought to investigate the effect of increasing age on CRF in male career firefighters as well as the modifying effects of physical activity and adiposity. We cross-sectionally examined 804 male career firefighters from two Midwestern states. CRF was determined from symptom-limited maximal treadmill exercise testing in metabolic equivalents (METS) following the Bruce protocol. Physical activity self-reports were extracted from responses to a health and lifestyle questionnaire. We found as expected that CRF declines with advancing age; however, the decline is greatly attenuated among leaner firefighters who report more physical activity. Furthermore, in a linear regression model including age, BMI, and variables describing physical activity behaviors, we could predict CRF (R2=0.6286). The total weekly duration of aerobic exercise as well as the duration of weight lifting sessions both had significant impacts on age-related decline. We conclude that firefighters are more likely to maintain the high levels of CRF needed to safely perform their duties if they engage in frequent exercise and maintain healthy weights.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/710903 |
| spellingShingle | Dorothee M. Baur Costas A. Christophi E. Francis Cook Stefanos N. Kales Age-Related Decline in Cardiorespiratory Fitness among Career Firefighters: Modification by Physical Activity and Adiposity Journal of Obesity |
| title | Age-Related Decline in Cardiorespiratory Fitness among Career Firefighters: Modification by Physical Activity and Adiposity |
| title_full | Age-Related Decline in Cardiorespiratory Fitness among Career Firefighters: Modification by Physical Activity and Adiposity |
| title_fullStr | Age-Related Decline in Cardiorespiratory Fitness among Career Firefighters: Modification by Physical Activity and Adiposity |
| title_full_unstemmed | Age-Related Decline in Cardiorespiratory Fitness among Career Firefighters: Modification by Physical Activity and Adiposity |
| title_short | Age-Related Decline in Cardiorespiratory Fitness among Career Firefighters: Modification by Physical Activity and Adiposity |
| title_sort | age related decline in cardiorespiratory fitness among career firefighters modification by physical activity and adiposity |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/710903 |
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