Carolinas Medical Center, The Center for Prehospital Medicine, Charlotte, North Carolina 28232, USA.
Prehosp Emerg Care. 2010 Jan-Mar;14(1):14-20. doi: 10.3109/10903120903144957.
Ensuring the health and productivity of emergency medical services (EMS) professionals is important. However, there has been no known national baseline assessment of the health and wellness of EMS professionals in the United States. According to Healthy People 2010, top indicators of personal health include physical activity, body mass index (BMI), and smoking prevalence.
The objectives of this study included quantifying existing health conditions and describing key health indicators among EMS professionals. It was hypothesized that work-life characteristics were associated with existing health conditions and key health indicators.
Data utilized for this analysis were obtained from a 2007 questionnaire included in biennial national recertification packets. This questionnaire utilized validated items from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) and the Longitudinal EMT Attributes and Demographics Study (LEADS). Along with common demographic characteristics, items inquired about existing health conditions (diabetes, asthma, hypertension, myocardial infarction, angina, stroke, and/or high blood cholesterol level), general health, physical activity, and smoking status. Descriptive analyses were performed utilizing chi-square tests, and logistic regression was utilized to describe associations between existing health conditions and the key health indicators.
There were 58,435 individuals who became recertified in 2007, with 30,560 (52%) returning questionnaires. Individuals with missing data were removed, leaving 19,960 individual records. There were 4,681 (23.5%) individuals who reported at least one existing health condition. The mean BMI for the study participants was 27.69 kg/m(2). There were 5,742 (28.8%) individuals classified as having normal weight and 5,146 (25.8%) who were obese. The overwhelming majority of individuals did not meet the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations for physical activity (15,022, 75.3%). There were 3,394 (17.0%) individuals classified as current smokers. Finally, logistic regression analysis indicated that when controlling for work-life characteristics and age, BMI and level of physical fitness were associated with preexisting health conditions.
This study was the first known baseline assessment of EMS professionals regarding the key health indicators identified by Healthy People 2010. Investigations regarding the impact of health and wellness in relation to workforce stability should be undertaken. Further research should also be conducted to identify strategies to improve the health of the EMS workforce.
确保紧急医疗服务（EMS）专业人员的健康和生产力很重要。然而，目前还没有针对美国 EMS 专业人员健康和健康状况的全国基准评估。根据《2010 年健康人》，个人健康的主要指标包括身体活动、体重指数（BMI）和吸烟率。
本研究的目的包括量化 EMS 专业人员现有的健康状况并描述关键健康指标。据推测，工作生活特征与现有健康状况和关键健康指标有关。
本分析使用的数据来自 2007 年两年一次的国家再认证包中包含的问卷。该问卷使用了行为风险因素监测系统（BRFSS）和纵向 EMT 属性和人口研究（LEADS）的经过验证的项目。除了常见的人口统计学特征外，项目还询问了现有的健康状况（糖尿病、哮喘、高血压、心肌梗死、心绞痛、中风和/或高胆固醇水平）、一般健康状况、身体活动和吸烟状况。利用卡方检验进行描述性分析，利用逻辑回归描述现有健康状况与关键健康指标之间的关联。
2007 年有 58435 人获得再认证，其中 30560 人（52%）返回了问卷。有缺失数据的人被删除，留下 19960 个人的记录。有 4681 人（23.5%）报告至少有一种现有健康状况。研究参与者的平均 BMI 为 27.69kg/m(2)。有 5742 人（28.8%）被归类为体重正常，5146 人（25.8%）为肥胖。绝大多数人不符合疾病控制和预防中心（CDC）的身体活动建议（15022 人，75.3%）。有 3394 人（17.0%）被归类为当前吸烟者。最后，逻辑回归分析表明，在控制工作生活特征和年龄的情况下，BMI 和健康水平与先前存在的健康状况有关。
这是第一项针对 EMS 专业人员的关键健康指标的全国基准评估，这些指标是由《2010 年健康人》确定的。应进行有关健康和健康状况对劳动力稳定性影响的调查。还应进行进一步研究，以确定改善 EMS 劳动力健康的策略。
