Healthcare Management Program, School of Economics and Management, Open University of Cyprus, Nicosia 2220, Cyprus.
Environmental and Occupational Medicine and Epidemiology (EOME), Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Apr 20;19(9):4986. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19094986.
The aim of our study was to evaluate the potential association between physical activity and occupational stress among firefighters. Data were collected from Cypriot firefighters through a web-based battery of internationally validated questionnaires completed anonymously (COPSOQ, DASS). A total of 430 firefighters (response rate 68%) completed the survey (age range: 21-60 years). More than half of the firefighters (54%) reported either no or minimal physical activity. A total of 11% of firefighters reported moderate to extremely severe stress based on the DASS-S scale. Using multivariable-adjusted logistic regression models, we showed that firefighters who exercised had 50% lower risk of occupational stress, and using a categorical model, we found that every hour per week of increased physical activity among firefighters was associated with 16% lower risk of occupational stress after adjusting for age, education, smoking, and body mass index (OR = 1.16; = 0.05). In addition, our findings suggest an inverse dose-response relationship between physical activity and occupational stress among firefighters. Physical activity appears to be inversely associated with occupational stress and serves as an important mitigating factor of occupational stress in firefighters. Further research is warranted to evaluate the potential effect of exercise interventions on occupational stress, and the overall mental health of firefighters and other occupational groups.
本研究旨在评估消防员的体力活动与职业压力之间的潜在关联。通过在线问卷调查（COPSOQ、DASS）收集了塞浦路斯消防员的数据，这些问卷都是国际公认的。共有 430 名消防员（回应率为 68%）完成了调查（年龄范围：21-60 岁）。超过一半的消防员（54%）报告说几乎不进行或很少进行体力活动。根据 DASS-S 量表，有 11%的消防员报告了中度到极重度的压力。使用多变量调整的逻辑回归模型，我们发现，锻炼的消防员职业压力的风险降低了 50%，使用分类模型，我们发现，消防员每周每增加一小时的体力活动，其职业压力的风险就会降低 16%，这是在调整了年龄、教育、吸烟和体重指数（OR=1.16；p=0.05）后得出的结果。此外，我们的研究结果表明，消防员的体力活动与职业压力之间存在负相关的剂量反应关系。体力活动似乎与职业压力呈负相关，是消防员职业压力的一个重要缓解因素。需要进一步研究评估运动干预对职业压力以及消防员和其他职业群体整体心理健康的潜在影响。
