United States Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Western States Division, Denver, CO, USA.
Synergy America, Inc., Duluth, GA, USA.
Ann Work Expo Health. 2024 Feb 20;68(2):122-135. doi: 10.1093/annweh/wxad080.
Work is an under-recognized social determinant of health. There is limited research describing US wildland firefighter (WFF) workforce demographics or how to work associates with WFF health behaviors. In this study researchers characterized a WFF cohort and tested hypotheses that WFFs used tobacco, alcohol, and sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) differently over the course of the fire season and that different fire crews may exhibit different behavior patterns.
Researchers collected data in the field with 6 WFF crews during 2 consecutive fire seasons (2018 and 2019). WFF crews completed questionnaires before and after each season. WFFs with an initial preseason questionnaire and at least 1 follow-up questionnaire were included (n = 138). Descriptive statistics summarized WFFs' baseline demographic, employment, and health characteristics. Linear mixed models were used to test for changes in WFFs' substance use over time and assess crew-level differences. A meta-analysis of WFF longitudinal studies' population characteristics was attempted to contextualize baseline findings.
WFFs were predominately male, less than 35 yr of age, non-Hispanic White, and had healthy weight. Smokeless tobacco use and binge drinking were prevalent in this cohort (52% and 78%, respectively, among respondents). Longitudinal analyses revealed that during the fire season WFFs' use of tobacco and SSBs increased and the number of days they consumed alcohol decreased. Crew-level associations varied by substance. The meta-analysis was not completed due to cross-study heterogeneity and inconsistent reporting.
WFF agencies can promote evidence-based substance use prevention and management programs and modify working conditions that may influence WFF stress or substance use.
工作是健康的一个被低估的社会决定因素。目前，关于美国野外消防员（WFF）劳动力人口统计学特征的研究有限，也很少有研究描述工作如何与 WFF 的健康行为相关。在这项研究中，研究人员对一个 WFF 队列进行了特征描述，并检验了以下假设：WFF 在整个火灾季节中使用烟草、酒精和含糖饮料（SSB）的方式不同，不同的消防人员可能表现出不同的行为模式。
研究人员在 2 个连续的火灾季节（2018 年和 2019 年）中在野外对 6 个 WFF 小组进行了数据收集。WFF 小组在每个季节前后完成了问卷。将有初始 preseason 问卷且至少有 1 份随访问卷的 WFF 纳入研究（n=138）。描述性统计总结了 WFF 的基线人口统计学、就业和健康特征。线性混合模型用于检验 WFF 随时间推移的物质使用变化，并评估船员层面的差异。尝试对 WFF 纵向研究的人口特征进行荟萃分析，以了解基线发现的背景。
WFF 主要是男性，年龄小于 35 岁，非西班牙裔白人，体重健康。在这个队列中，使用无烟烟草和狂饮的情况很普遍（分别有 52%和 78%的受访者）。纵向分析显示，在火灾季节，WFF 对烟草和 SSB 的使用增加，而他们饮酒的天数减少。不同物质的船员层面关联不同。由于跨研究的异质性和报告不一致，荟萃分析未完成。
WFF 机构可以推广基于证据的物质使用预防和管理计划，并调整工作条件，这些条件可能会影响 WFF 的压力或物质使用。
