Impact of physical activity on cardiovascular health in firefighters: Scoping review
Background: Firefighters’ duties include fire response, emergency medical treatment and rescue operations. Noncompliance with physical activity (PA) guidelines increases adverse health behaviours and the risk of on-duty fatalities. While PA is known to treat cardiovascular disease (CVD), its impact...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | Afrikaans |
| Published: |
AOSIS
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Health SA Gesondheid: Journal of Interdisciplinary Health Sciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://hsag.co.za/index.php/hsag/article/view/2713 |
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| _version_ | 1823858192407330816 |
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| author | Ghaleelullah Achmat Charlene Erasmus Jill Kanaley Rucia November Lloyd Leach |
| author_facet | Ghaleelullah Achmat Charlene Erasmus Jill Kanaley Rucia November Lloyd Leach |
| author_sort | Ghaleelullah Achmat |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: Firefighters’ duties include fire response, emergency medical treatment and rescue operations. Noncompliance with physical activity (PA) guidelines increases adverse health behaviours and the risk of on-duty fatalities. While PA is known to treat cardiovascular disease (CVD), its impact on risky health behaviours in firefighters is under-researched.
Aim: This scoping review aimed to evaluate PA’s effects on firefighters’ cardiovascular health.
Method: The review followed PRISMA-ScR and PRISMA Protocol standards, involving a comprehensive search across databases like Cochrane, PubMed, Medline, EbscoHost, Web of Science, Academic Search Complete, CINAHL (EBSCO), SAGE Journals, ScienceDirect and Scopus, covering publications up to June 2023. The purpose was to compile evidence on PA programs’ effects on fire and rescue services (FRS).
Results: Five intervention studies were included, examining PA effects on firefighters with smoking habits, poor diet, alcohol consumption and sedentary lifestyles. These interventions recommend 150 minutes per week of aerobic, flexibility and strength activities. Firefighters should be guided to initiate and maintain 150 minutes of PA weekly to promote health strategies.
Conclusion: The study concludes that integrating lifestyle changes with low- and moderate-intensity PA into fire services is crucial for improving health risk behaviours (HRBs). Implementing multilevel interventions is necessary to drive policy changes supporting firefighters facing HRBs.
Contribution: Educating firefighters about these behaviours is essential, fostering an understanding of healthy alternatives. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-5779292de7f6449dbad8abae53764280 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1025-9848 2071-9736 |
| language | Afrikaans |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | AOSIS |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Health SA Gesondheid: Journal of Interdisciplinary Health Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-5779292de7f6449dbad8abae537642802025-02-11T13:23:20ZafrAOSISHealth SA Gesondheid: Journal of Interdisciplinary Health Sciences1025-98482071-97362025-01-01300e1e1210.4102/hsag.v30i0.27131215Impact of physical activity on cardiovascular health in firefighters: Scoping reviewGhaleelullah Achmat0Charlene Erasmus1Jill Kanaley2Rucia November3Lloyd Leach4Department of Sport, Recreation and Exercise Science, Faculty of Community and Health Science, University of the Western Cape, Cape TownCentre for Interdisciplinary Studies of Children, Families and Society, Faculty of Community and Health Sciences, University of the Western Cape, Cape TownDepartment of Nutrition & Exercise Physiology, College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, University of Missouri, ColumbiaDepartment of Sport, Recreation and Exercise Science, Faculty of Community and Health Science, University of the Western Cape, Cape TownDepartment of Sport, Recreation and Exercise Science, Faculty of Community and Health Science, University of the Western Cape, Cape TownBackground: Firefighters’ duties include fire response, emergency medical treatment and rescue operations. Noncompliance with physical activity (PA) guidelines increases adverse health behaviours and the risk of on-duty fatalities. While PA is known to treat cardiovascular disease (CVD), its impact on risky health behaviours in firefighters is under-researched. Aim: This scoping review aimed to evaluate PA’s effects on firefighters’ cardiovascular health. Method: The review followed PRISMA-ScR and PRISMA Protocol standards, involving a comprehensive search across databases like Cochrane, PubMed, Medline, EbscoHost, Web of Science, Academic Search Complete, CINAHL (EBSCO), SAGE Journals, ScienceDirect and Scopus, covering publications up to June 2023. The purpose was to compile evidence on PA programs’ effects on fire and rescue services (FRS). Results: Five intervention studies were included, examining PA effects on firefighters with smoking habits, poor diet, alcohol consumption and sedentary lifestyles. These interventions recommend 150 minutes per week of aerobic, flexibility and strength activities. Firefighters should be guided to initiate and maintain 150 minutes of PA weekly to promote health strategies. Conclusion: The study concludes that integrating lifestyle changes with low- and moderate-intensity PA into fire services is crucial for improving health risk behaviours (HRBs). Implementing multilevel interventions is necessary to drive policy changes supporting firefighters facing HRBs. Contribution: Educating firefighters about these behaviours is essential, fostering an understanding of healthy alternatives.https://hsag.co.za/index.php/hsag/article/view/2713firefightershealth risk behaviourphysical activitysedentary lifestylecardiovascular disease |
| spellingShingle | Ghaleelullah Achmat Charlene Erasmus Jill Kanaley Rucia November Lloyd Leach Impact of physical activity on cardiovascular health in firefighters: Scoping review Health SA Gesondheid: Journal of Interdisciplinary Health Sciences firefighters health risk behaviour physical activity sedentary lifestyle cardiovascular disease |
| title | Impact of physical activity on cardiovascular health in firefighters: Scoping review |
| title_full | Impact of physical activity on cardiovascular health in firefighters: Scoping review |
| title_fullStr | Impact of physical activity on cardiovascular health in firefighters: Scoping review |
| title_full_unstemmed | Impact of physical activity on cardiovascular health in firefighters: Scoping review |
| title_short | Impact of physical activity on cardiovascular health in firefighters: Scoping review |
| title_sort | impact of physical activity on cardiovascular health in firefighters scoping review |
| topic | firefighters health risk behaviour physical activity sedentary lifestyle cardiovascular disease |
| url | https://hsag.co.za/index.php/hsag/article/view/2713 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT ghaleelullahachmat impactofphysicalactivityoncardiovascularhealthinfirefightersscopingreview AT charleneerasmus impactofphysicalactivityoncardiovascularhealthinfirefightersscopingreview AT jillkanaley impactofphysicalactivityoncardiovascularhealthinfirefightersscopingreview AT rucianovember impactofphysicalactivityoncardiovascularhealthinfirefightersscopingreview AT lloydleach impactofphysicalactivityoncardiovascularhealthinfirefightersscopingreview |