Relationship of aerobic fitness with cardiovascular risk factors in firefighters.
BACKGROUND
Epidemiological studies on the general population have shown that increased physical activity and aerobic fitness (AF) significantly decrease the risk of coronary artery disease. Finding ways to decrease such risk factors can promote the health of firefighters.


METHODS
This study was conducted in a large industrial facility in Tehran. AF assessment and submaximal aerobic fitness testing of participants were performed according to the guidelines of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). AF was determined using a bicycle ergometer. Other information was collected using a specifically designed questionnaire, physical examination and blood test. Data were analyzed using SPSS. Level of significance was set at P < 0.05.


RESULTS
A total of 157 male firefighters were evaluated in an industrial facility. The results of logistic regression analysis revealed that AF was significantly correlated with age, body mass index (BMI), cigarette smoking, physical activity, hemoglobin level, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) level, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) level, resting systolic blood pressure (RSBP), diastolic blood pressure (RDBP) and heart rate (RHR) (P < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Firefighters with greater AF had lower cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors. Longitudinal studies are required to further confirm this finding. Increasing the AF may decrease CVD risk factors in firefighters.
Telemedicine Research Center, National Research Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases (NRITLD), Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Seyed Mohammad
SM
Seyedmehdi
Department of Forensic Medicine, School of Medicine, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran.|Department of Occupational Medicine, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Mirsaeed
M
Attarchi
RasoulAkram Hospital, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Afsaneh Safar
AS
Cherati
Department of Cardiology, Rasoul Akram Hospital, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Shokoufeh
S
Hajsadeghi
NIOC PIHO, Tehran, Iran.
Ramin
R
Tofighi
Chronic Respiratory Diseases Research Center, National Research Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases (NRITLD), Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Hamidreza
H
Jamaati
Cardiovascular diseases; aerobic capacity; fire man; physical fitness