title: Injury among a population based sample of career firefighters in the central USA.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Rates of occupational injuries among firefighters are high because of the physically demanding and variable tasks required by their job. While descriptive data about injuries exist, few studies have explored individual risk factors and their relationship to occupational injury.
  
  
  METHODS
  The current study presents data from a population-based sample of 462 career firefighters from 11 randomly-selected fire departments in the Missouri Valley region of the USA (Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska) who participated in a study evaluating risks for negative cardiovascular outcomes and injury. Relationships were examined between injury and demographic characteristics, body composition, fitness, and health behaviours.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Participants were most likely to be injured during physical exercise and those who reported regular on-duty exercise had a fourfold increase in risk for exercise-related injury compared with those who did not exercise on duty (OR=4.06, 95% CI 1.73 to 12.24). However, those who exercised were half as likely to sustain non-exercise injuries (OR=0.53, 95% CI 0.32 to 0.85).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Findings highlight the benefit of physical training for firefighters despite the risk of injury during exercise.
authors.affiliation: Center for Fire, Rescue and EMS Health Research, National Development and Research Institutes, Inc, , Leawood, Kansas, USA.
authors.forename: Sara A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Jahnke
authors.forename: Walker S Carlos
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Poston
authors.forename: Christopher Keith
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Haddock
authors.forename: Nattinee
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Jitnarin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003120:Colorado / Q000453:epidemiology; D015444:Exercise; D061388:Firefighters / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015146:Midwestern United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D060051:Occupational Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D014959:Wyoming / Q000453:epidemiology