Table 2.
Characteristics of the wildland firefighter population at baseline: self-reported health history and behaviors (n = 138a)
| Number of respondents | Percent | |
|---|---|---|
| Health History at Baseline | ||
| Ever experienced heat stress or heat stroke while fighting fires | 39 | 27 |
| Ever experienced an allergic or sensitive reaction to poison ivy, poison oak, or poison sumac while fighting fires | 34 | 25 |
| Experienced tinnitus in the past 12 mo | 35 | 25 |
| A doctor, nurse, or other health professional ever told respondents they had: | ||
| Asthma | 19 | 14 |
| Pneumonia | 14 | 10 |
| Attacks of bronchitis | 10 | 7 |
| Anxiety | 8 | 6 |
| High blood pressure | 8 | 6 |
| Depression | 6 | 4 |
| Heat-related illness due to fighting fires | 5 | 4 |
| Health Behaviors at Baseline | ||
| Cigarette use (n = 137)b | ||
| Current | 20 | 15 |
| Former | 37 | 27 |
| Never | 80 | 58 |
| Ever used the following tobacco products | ||
| Cigars, cigarillos, or little filtered cigars | 126 | 91 |
| Smokeless tobacco | 120 | 87 |
| e-Cigarettes | 54 | 39 |
| Substance use in the prior 30 d | ||
| Any alcoholic beverage (n = 138) | 124 | 90 |
| Smokeless tobacco (n = 120) | 62 | 52 |
| Cigarettes (n = 57) | 15 | 26 |
| Cigars, cigarillos, or little filtered cigars (n = 126) | 12 | 10 |
| e-Cigarettes (n = 54) | 9 | 17 |
| Frequency of alcohol use in prior 30 d (n = 120) | ||
| The mean number of days with alcohol use (SD) | 13 | 8 |
| Binge drinking in the prior 30 d | ||
| 0 episodes | 27 | 23 |
| 1 to 4 episodes | 65 | 54 |
| 5 to 9 episodes | 16 | 13 |
| 10 or more episodes | 12 | 10 |
| Any episodes | 93 | 78 |
| Mean number of binges drinking episodes (SD) | 4 | 5 |
| Mean maximum number of drinks on a single occasion (SD) | 7 | 3 |
| Daily consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages in the prior 2 wk | ||
| Energy drinks | 9 | 7 |
| Soda | 8 | 6 |
| Use of select medications and supplements, prior to 2 wk | ||
| Pain relievers (e.g. acetaminophen and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents) | 66 | 48 |
| Cold, cough, or allergy medications | 32 | 23 |
| Aspirin or medications containing aspirin | 21 | 15 |
| Creatine supplements | 15 | 11 |
| Stimulants (e.g. Adderall, 5-h Energy, and NoDoz) | 9 | 7 |
| Asthma inhaler | 6 | 4 |
a
The number of respondents may not equal the total sample size (n = 138) for several reasons—missing data, respondents were instructed to select all responses that applied, or data were suppressed (n < 5). Unless otherwise specified, the total sample size was used to calculate percentages.
b
Current smokers reported having smoked 100 cigarettes in their lives and also reported smoking cigarettes every day or some days. Former smokers reported having smoked 100 cigarettes in their lives, but not currently. Never smokers reported having never smoked 100 cigarettes in their lives.
Abbreviations: n, sample size.