@article{ref1,
title="Which subgroups of fire fighters are more prone to work-related diminished health requirements?",
journal="International archives of occupational and environmental health",
year="2012",
author="Plat, Marie-Christine J. and Frings-Dresen, Monique H. W. and Sluiter, Judith K.",
volume="85",
number="7",
pages="775-782",
abstract="PURPOSE: To determine whether certain subgroups of fire fighters are prone to work-related diminished health requirements. METHODS: The health requirements for fire-fighting were tested in a workers' health surveillance (WHS) setting. These health requirements included psychological, physical and sense-related components as well as cardiovascular risk factors. The odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) for the presence of the diminished health requirements were calculated for the subgroups of gender, professionalism and age. RESULTS: The prevalence of diminished psychological requirements was equivalent among the subgroups, and no significant high-risk group was identified. As compared to men fire fighters, women fire fighters were more likely to have diminished physical requirements (OR 28.5; 95% CI 12.1-66.9) and less likely to have cardiovascular risk factors (OR 0.3; 0.1-0.5). As compared to volunteer fire fighters, professionals were less likely to have diminished physical requirements (OR 0.5; 0.3-0.9), but professionals had a higher prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors with an odds ratio of 1.9 (1.1-3.2). As compared to the youngest fire fighters, the oldest fire fighters were more likely to have diminished sense-related requirements (OR 7.1; 3.4-15.2); a similar comparison could be made between oldest and middle-aged fire fighters (OR 5.1; 2.5-10.5). In addition, the oldest fire fighters were more likely to have cardiovascular risk factors when compared to the youngest (OR 4.4; 1.7-11.1) and to the middle-aged fire fighters (OR 3.1; 1.2-7.9). CONCLUSIONS: Subgroups (gender, professionalism and age) of fire fighters are prone to at least one specific work-related diminished health requirement. Therefore, parts of the WHS could be applied with more attention to these high-risk groups.<p /><p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0340-0131",
doi="10.1007/s00420-011-0720-x",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00420-011-0720-x"
}