Table 2.
Distributions of study variables, systolic and diastolic blood pressures, and hypertension in 330 (321 males and 9 females) professional firefighters
| Study variables | Category | Subcategory | % (N = 330) | Systolic BP, mm Hg: M (SD) |
Diastolic BP, mm Hg: M (SD) |
Hypertension (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sociodemographic | Age | 25–34 | 25.2 | 109.6 (9.8)*** | 73.0 (7.1)*** | 1.2*** |
| 35–44 | 31.8 | 110.4 (10.3)*** | 75.5 (7.1)*** | 6.7*** | ||
| 45–54 | 37.0 | 113.8 (13.5)*** | 77.5 (7.8)*** | 17.2*** | ||
| 55–61 | 6.1 | 117.2 (13.2)*** | 79.6 (7.7)*** | 35.0*** | ||
| Sex | Men | 97.3 | 112.2 (11.8)*** | 76.0 (7.6)** | 11.2***a | |
| Women | 2.7 | 100.0 (5.2)*** | 70.6 (7.9)** | 0.0***a | ||
| Race/ethnicity | Non-Hispanic white | 81.5 | 112.1 (12.2) | 76.3 (7.5) | 12.3* | |
| Hispanic/Asian/others | 18.5 | 110.8 (10.2) | 75.7 (7.7) | 4.9* | ||
| Marital status | Married or living with | 78.2 | 112.0 (11.3) | 76.0 (7.6) | 10.9 | |
| partner | ||||||
| Others | 21.8 | 111.4 (13.6) | 75.4 (7.8) | 11.1 | ||
| Education | Some college or high school | 52.7 | 113.4 (11.8)** | 76.1 (7.0) | 12.6 | |
| College or Graduate school | 47.3 | 110.2 (11.7)** | 75.5 (8.3) | 9.0 | ||
| Job title | Firefighters/Engineers | 69.7 | 111.7 (11.7) | 75.5 (7.8) | 7.4*** | |
| Captains/Chiefs | 30.3 | 112.2 (12.2) | 76.7 (7.3) | 19.0*** | ||
| Worksite | Fire station | 98.8 | 111.7 (11.8)* | 75.8 (7.7) | 10.4** | |
| Headquarters | 1.2 | 121.3 (16.2)* | 77.0 (8.2) | 50.0** | ||
| Psychosocial working conditions | Number of 24-h shifts in the past month | 0–6 | 5.2 | 115.6 (11.02)* | 77.3 (5.7)* | 17.6 |
| 8–11 | 9.1 | 108.2 (7.3)* | 73.4 (7.6)* | 13.3 | ||
| 12–21 | 85.8 | 112.0 (12.2)* | 76.0 (7.7)* | 10.2 | ||
| 0–6 | 5.2 | 115.6 (11.02) | 77.3 (5.7) | 17.6 | ||
| 8–11 | 9.1 | 108.2 (7.3) | 73.4 (7.5)* | 13.3 | ||
| 12 | 21.5 | 111.2 (13.9) | 76.1 (8.5)* | 11.3 | ||
| 13 | 12.4 | 111.7 (11.6) | 76.0 (8.3)* | 17.1 | ||
| 14 | 23.3 | 113.5 (13.0) | 76.3 (7.2)* | 11.7 | ||
| 15 | 11.2 | 110.8 (11.1) | 73.3 (6.9)* | 2.7 | ||
| 16 | 10.6 | 113.1 (11.0) | 78.3 (8.5)* | 5.7 | ||
| 17–21 | 6.7 | 110.5 (8.0) | 76.0 (4.4)* | 9.1 | ||
| Sedentary work | Strongly disagree | 8.2 | 112.9 (14.8) | 76.0 (9.1) | 7.4 | |
| Disagree | 54.8 | 111.0 (10.9) | 75.3 (7.4) | 9.4 | ||
| Agree | 27.3 | 113.4 (12.8) | 76.4 (7.6) | 14.4 | ||
| Strongly agree | 9.7 | 111.8 (11.4) | 77.2 (7.9) | 11.1 | ||
| Number of calls on a typical 24-h shift | 0–4 | 28.5 | 111.8 (13.2) | 76.3 (8.6) | 22.3*** | |
| 5–7 | 38.8 | 112.6 (12.5) | 75.8 (7.6) | 7.8*** | ||
| 8–14 | 32.7 | 111.1 (9.6) | 75.5 (6.9) | 4.6*** | ||
| More demanding job over the past years | Strongly disagree/disagree | 30.9 | 110.2 (10.4)* | 75.3 (6.8) | 10.8 | |
| Agree/strongly agree | 69.1 | 112.6 (12.4)* | 76.1 (8.0) | 11.0 | ||
| Health-related behaviors | Exercise at work | ≥2 days/week | 87.9 | 111.7 (11.9) | 75.6 (7.7)* | 10.0* |
| ≤ 1 day/week | 12.1 | 112.8 (11.4) | 77.6 (7.2)* | 17.5* | ||
| Exercise during leisure time | ≥2 days/week | 73.6 | 111.6 (11.3) | 75.4 (7.5)* | 8.6** | |
| ≤1 day/week | 26.4 | 112.6 (13.2) | 77.2 (7.9)* | 17.2** | ||
| High-fiber fruits/vegetable consumption | High (5–6 servings/day) | 13.3 | 109.0 (12.4)* | 73.5 (7.6)** | 4.5* | |
| Low (0–4 servings/day) | 86.7 | 112.3 (11.7)* | 76.2 (7.6)** | 11.9* | ||
| Smoking/users of tobacco products | Current smokers/users | 10.0 | 113.1 (11.2) | 78.1 (7.9)* | 15.2 | |
| Ex-smokers/users | 25.5 | 112.8 (11.4) | 76.6 (7.5)* | 13.1 | ||
| Never-smokers/users | 64.5 | 111.3 (12.1) | 75.2 (7.6)* | 9.4 | ||
| Alcohol consumption | No | 13.3 | 111.0 (10.7) | 76.3 (6.9) | 6.8 | |
| Moderate/Heavyb | 86.7b | 112.0 (12.0) | 75.8 (7.8) | 11.5 | ||
| Antihypertensive medication | No | 92.7 | 111.2 (11.5)*** | 75.4 (7.5)*** | 3.9*** | |
| Yes | 7.3 | 121.0 (12.9)*** | 81.3 (7.8)*** | 100.0*** | ||
| Sleep and health | Sleep hours at fire station | 2.5 to <5 h | 15.8 | 110.9 (9.9) | 75.4 (7.0) | 1.9*** |
| 5 or 6 h | 61.2 | 111.9 (12.2) | 75.6 (7.9) | 9.9*** | ||
| >6 to 8.5 hc | 23.0 | 112.4 (12.2) | 76.9 (7.3) | 19.7*** | ||
| Sleep hours at home | 4 to <7 h | 17.8 | 113.4 (13.0) | 76.6 (8.1) | 21.1** | |
| 7 or 8 h | 72.6 | 111.9 (11.8) | 75.7 (7.4) | 8.6** | ||
| >8 to 10 h | 9.7 | 110.2 (10.7) | 75.2 (8.7) | 9.7** | ||
| Psychological distress | Low (0–9) | 56.4 | 112.4 (12.6) | 75.7 (8.2) | 13.6* | |
| High (10–28) | 43.6 | 111.3 (10.9) | 76.1 (6.9) | 7.7* | ||
| PTSD | No | 94.2 | 111.8 (11.8) | 75.9 (7.7) | 10.9 | |
| Yes | 5.8 | 113.6 (12.8) | 75.2 (6.5) | 10.5 | ||
| Obesity | <30 kg/m2 | 77.6 | 110.6 (11.6)*** | 74.9 (7.5)*** | 8.6** | |
| ≥30 kg/m2 | 22.4 | 116.4 (11.5)*** | 79.0 (7.3)*** | 18.9** |
*
p < 0.20,
**
p < 0.05, and
***
p < 0.01 at analysis of variance (ANOVA) test for blood pressure and Chi-square test for hypertension
a
Based on the significance test of a gamma coefficient
b
The percent of heavy drinkers (2.1 %) were included
c
1 firefighter reported 10 h of sleep