Exploring Occupational and Health Behavioral Causes of Firefighter Obesity: A Qualitative Study

American Journal of Industrial Medicine

Volumn 56, Issue 7, 2013, Pages 776-790

  Dobson, Marnie ^a,b   Choi, Bongkyoo ^a   Schnall, Peter L ^a,b   Wigger, Erin ^b   Garcia Rivas, Javier ^a   Israel, Leslie ^a   Baker, Dean B ^a  

^a UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA   (United States)

^b Center for Social Epidemiology   (United States)

Author keywords

Firefighters; Health behaviors; Obesity; Occupational health; Qualitative research

Indexed keywords

ADULT; ARTICLE; COMPARATIVE STUDY; FIRE FIGHTER; FITNESS; HEALTH BEHAVIOR; HUMAN; INFORMATION PROCESSING; MALE; MENTAL STRESS; MIDDLE AGED; NEEDS ASSESSMENT; OBESITY; OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH; PHYSIOLOGY; PREVALENCE; PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECT; QUALITATIVE RESEARCH; RISK ASSESSMENT; STATISTICS; UNITED STATES;

ADULT; FIREFIGHTERS; FOCUS GROUPS; HEALTH BEHAVIOR; HUMANS; MALE; MIDDLE AGED; NEEDS ASSESSMENT; OBESITY; OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH; PHYSICAL FITNESS; PREVALENCE; QUALITATIVE RESEARCH; RISK ASSESSMENT; STRESS, PSYCHOLOGICAL; UNITED STATES;

EID: 84879288499     PISSN: 02713586     EISSN: 10970274     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1002/ajim.22151     Document Type: Article

References (81)

1. Acker J. 1990. Hierarchies, jobs, and bodies: A theory of gendered organizations. Gender Soc 4:139-158.
2. Atkinson G, Fullick S, Grindey C, Maclaren D. 2008. Exercise, energy balance and the shift worker. Sports Med 38:671-685.
3. Ballard T, Corradi L, Lauria L, Mazzanti C, Scaravelli G, Sgorbissa F, Romito P, Verdecchia A. 2004. Integrating qualitative methods into occupational health research: A study of women flight attendants. Occup Environ Med 61:163-166.
4. Black N. 1994. Why we need qualitative research. J Epidemiol Community Health 48:425-426.
5. Block J, He Y, Zaslavsky A, Ding L, Ayanian J. 2009. Psychosocial stress and change in weight among US adults. Am J Epidemiol 170(2):181-192.
6. Brisson C, Larocque B, Moisan J, Vézina M, Dagenais G. 2000. Psychosocial factors at work, smoking, sedentary behavior, and body mass index: A prevalence study among 6995 white collar workers. J Occup Environ Med 42:40-46.
7. Brunner E, Chandola T, Marmot M. 2007. Prospective effect of job strain on general and central obesity in the Whitehall II study. Am J Epidemiol 165(7):828-837.
8. Caban-Martinez A, Lee D, Fleming L, Gomez O, LeBlanc W, Pitman T. 2005. Obesity in US workers: The national health interview survey, 1986 to 2002. Am J Public Health 95(9):1-9.
9. Choi B, Schnall P, Dobson M, Yang H, Landsbergis P, Baker D. 2010a. Job control and job demands as risk factors for central obesity in US workers: A 9-year follow-up study. 4th International Congress of Occupational Health on Psychosocial Factors at Work, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
10. Choi B, Schnall P, Yang H, Dobson M, Landsbergis P, Israel L, Karasek R, Baker D. 2010b. Sedentary work, low physical job demand, and obesity in US workers. Am J Ind Med 53(11):1088-1101.
11. Choi B, Schnall P, Dobson M, Israel L, Landsbergis P, Galassetti P, Pontello A, Kojaku S, Baker D. 2011. Exploring occupational and behavioral risk factors for obesity in Firefighters: A theoretical framework and study design. Saf Health Work 2:301-312.
12. Connell R. 1995. Masculinities. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
13. Connell R, Messerschmidt J. 2005. Hegemonic masculinity: Rethinking the concept. Gender Soc 19(6):829-859.
14. De Koning K, Martin M, editors. 1996. Participatory research in health: Issues and experiences. London, UK: Zed Books.
15. Dejoy D, Southern D. 1993. An integrative perspective on work site health promotion. J Occup Med 35(12):1221-1230.
16. Devine C, Farrell T, Blake C, Jastran M, Wethington E, Bisogni C. 2009. Work conditions and the food choice coping strategies of employed parents. J Nutr Educ Behav 41:365-370.
17. Dobson M, Schnall P, Choi B, Israel L, Baker D. 2010. Work, health behaviors and obesity in Firefighters: A pilot study. 4th International Congress of Occupational Health on Psychosocial Factors at Work. Amsterdam, Netherlands.
18. Elliot D, Goldberg L, Kuehl K, Moe E, Breger R, Pickering M. 2007. The PHLAME (Promoting Healthy Lifestyles: Alternative Models' Effects) Firefighter study: Outcomes of two models of behavior change. J Occup Environ Med 49(2):204-213.
19. Fahy R, LeBlanc P, Molis J. 2011. Firefighter fatalities in the United States-2010. National Fire Protection Association.
20. Farquhar S, Parker E, Schulz A, Israel B. 2006. Application of qualitative methods in program planning for health promotion interventions. Health Promot Pract 7(2):234-242.
21. Fern E. 2001. Advanced focus group research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
22. Fraser N. 1989. Unruly practices: Power, discourse and gender in contemporary social theory. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
23. Gerace T, George V. 1996. Predictors of weight increases over 7 years in fire fighters and paramedics. Prev Med 25:593-600.
24. Golden S, Earp J. 2012. Social ecological approaches to individuals and their contexts: Twenty years of health education & behavior health promotion interventions. Health Educ Behav 39:364-372.
25. Goldenhar LM, LaMontagne AD, Katz T, Heaney C, Landsbergis P. 2001. The intervention research process in occupational safety and health: An overview from the national occupational research agenda intervention effectiveness research team. J Occup Environ Med 43(7):616-622.
26. Gordon D, Ames G, Yen I, Gillen M, Aust B, Rugulies R, Frank J, Blanc P. 2005. Integrating qualitative research into occupational health: A case study among hospital workers. J Occup Environ Med 47(4):399-409.
27. Greenwood D, Levin M. 1998. Introduction to action research: Social research for social change. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
28. Haddock CK, Poston WSC, Jahnke SA. 2011. Addressing the epidemic of obesity in the United States Fire Service-A report prepared by the National Volunteer Fire Council. Greenbelt, MD, Center for Fire, Rescue, and EMS Health Research, National Development and Research Institutes, LLC, National Volunteer Fire Council.
29. Hugentobler MK, Israel BA, Shurman SJ. 1992. An action research approach to workplace health: Integrating methods. Health Educ Q 19(1):55-76.
30. Ishizaki M, Morikawa Y, Nakagawa H, Honda R, Kawakami N, Haratani T, Kobayashi F, Araki S, Yamada Y. 2004. The influence of work characteristics on body mass index and waist to hip ratio in Japanese employees. Ind Health 42(1):41-49.
31. Ishizaki M, Nakagawa H, Morikawa Y, Honda R, Yamada Y, Kawakami N. 2008. Japan Work Stress and Health Cohort Study Group. Influence of job strain on changes in body mass index and waist circumference - 6-year longitudinal study. Scand J Work Environ Health 34(4):288-296.
32. Jeffery RW. 2001. Public health strategies for obesity treatment and prevention. Am J Health Behav 25(3):252-259.
33. Kales S, Polyhronopoulos G, Aldrich J, Leitao E, Christiani D. 1999. Correlates of body mass index in hazardous materials Firefighters. J Occup Environ Med 41:589-595.
34. Kales S, Soteriades E, Christoudias S, Christiani D. 2003. Firefighters and on-duty deaths from coronary heart disease: A case control study. Environ Health Global Access Sci Source 2:14.
35. Kales S, Soteriades E, Christophi C, Christiani D. 2007. Emergency duties and deaths from heart disease among firefighters in the United States. New Engl J Med 356:1207-1215.
36. Karter MJ. 2010. Fire loss in the United States 2010. Retrieved 6/11/2012, 2012, from http://www.nfpa.org/itemDetail.asp?categoryID=955&itemID=23850&URL=Research/Fire%20statistics/The%20U.S.%20fire%20service
37. Kivimaki M, Ferrie J, Shipley M, Brunner E, Vahtera J, Marmot M. 2006. Work stress, weight gain and weight loss: Evidence for bidirectional effects of job strain on body mass index in the Whitehall II study. Int J Obes 30:982-987.
38. Knutson K, Spiegel K, Penev P, van Cauter E. 2007. The metabolic consequences of sleep deprivation. Sleep Med Rev 11:163-178.
39. Kouvonen A, Kivimäki M, Elovainio M, Pentti J, Linna A, Virtanen M, Vahtera J. 2006. Effort/reward imbalance and sedentary lifestyle: An observational study in a large occupational cohort. Occup Environ Med 63:422-427.
40. Krueger R, Casey M. 2000. Focus groups: A practical guide for applied research. 3rd edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
41. Lakdawalla D, Philipson T. 2007. Labor supply and weight. J Hum Resour 41:85-116.
42. LaMontagne A, Keegel T, Louie A, Ostry A, Landsbergis P. 2007. A systematic review of the job stress intervention evaluation literature: 1990-2005. Int J Occup Environ Health 13:268-280.
43. Landsbergis P. 2009. Interventions to reduce job stress and improve work organization and worker health. In: Schnall P, Dobson M, Rosskam E, editors. Unhealthy work: Causes, consequences, cures New York: Baywood Publishing, Inc.
44. Laurell A, Noriega M, Martǐnez S, Villegas J. 1992. Participatory research on workers' health. Soc Sci Med 34(6):603-613.
45. Lindlof T, Taylor B. 2002. Qualitative communication research methods. 2nd edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
46. MacKinnon DP, Elliot DL, Thoemmes F, Kuehl KS, Moe EL, Goldberg L, Burrell GL, Ranby KW. 2010. Long-term effects of a worksite health promotion program for firefighters. Am J Health Behav 34(6):695-706.
47. Mergler D. 1987. Worker participation in occupational health research: Theory and practice. Int J Health Serv 17(1):151-167.
48. Mergler D. 1999. Combining quantitative and qualitative approaches in occupational health for a better understanding of the impact of work-related disorders. Scand J Work Environ Health 25(s4):54-60.
49. Moore MD. 2005. Providing leadership between the various generations of the Orange county fire authority. Irvine, CA.
50. Morgan D, editor. 1993. Successful focus groups: Advancing the state of the art. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications.
51. Morikawa Y, Nakagawa H, Miura K, Soyama Y, Ishizaki M, Kido T, Naruse Y, Naruse Y, Suwazono Y, Nogawa K. 2007. Effect of shift work on body mass index and metabolic parameters. Scand J Work Environ Health 33(1):45-50.
52. Morikawa Y, Miura K, Sasaki S, Yoshita K, Yoneyama S, Sakurai M, Ishizaki M, Kido T, Naruse Y, Suwazono Y, Higashiyama M H N. 2008. Evaluation of the effects of shift work on nutrient intake: A cross-sectional study. J Occup Health 50:270-278.
53. Mozaffarian D, Hao T, Rimm EB, Willett WC, Hu FB. 2011. Changes in diet and lifestyle and long-term weight gain in women and men. New Engl J Med 364(25):2392-2404.
54. Mummery W, Schofield G, Steele R, Eakin E, Brown W. 2005. Occupational sitting time and overweight and obesity in Australian workers. Am J Prev Med 29(2):91-97.
55. Murphy L, Sauter S. 2004. Work organization interventions: State of knowledge and future directions. Soz-Praventivmed 49:79-86.
56. Murphy S, Beaton RD, Pike KC, Johnson LC. 1999. Occupational stressors, stress responses, and alcohol consumption among professional firefighters: A prospective, longitudinal analysis. Int J Stress Manage 6(3):179-196.
57. Needleman C, Needleman M. 1996. Qualitative methods for intervention research. Am J Ind Med 29:1996.
58. NIOSH. 2011. What is total Worker™ health? Retrieved 2/6/2012, from http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/twh/totalhealth.html
59. Nishitani N, Sakakibara H, Akiyama I. 2009. Eating behavior related to obesity and job stress in male Japanese workers. Nutrition 25:45-50.
60. OCFA. 2011. Orange County Fire Authority 2010 Annual Report.
61. Ostry A, Radi S, Louie A, LaMontagne A. 2006. Psychosocial and other working conditions in relation to body mass index in a representative sample of Australian workers. BMC Public Health 6:53.
62. Ranby K, MacKinnon D, Fairchild A, Elliot D, Kuehl K, Goldberg L. 2011. The PHLAME (Promoting Healthy Lifestyles Alternative Models' Effects) Firefighter Study: Testing mediating mechanisms. J Occup Health Psychol 16(4):501-513.
63. Reskin B. 1988. Bringing the men back in: Sex differentiation and the devaluation of women's work. Gender Soc 7:58-81.
64. Rosskam E. 2009. Using participatory action research methodology to improve worker health. In: Schnall P, Dobson M, Rosskam E, editors. Unhealthy work: Causes, consequences, cures New York, NY: Baywood.
65. Rozin P, Hormes JM, Faith MS, Wansink B. 2012. Is meat male? A quantitative multimethod framework to establish metaphoric relationships. J Consum Res 39(3):629-643.
66. Scheer F, Hilton M, Mantzoros C, Shea S. 2009. Adverse metabolic and cardiovascular consequences of circadian misalignment. Natl Acad Sci 106(11):4453-4458.
67. Schneider S, Becker S. 2005. Prevalence of physical activity among the working population and correlation with work-related factors: Results from the first German National Health Survey. J Occup Health 47:414-423.
68. Schonfeld I, Farrell E. 2010. Qualitative methods can enrich quantitative research on occupational stress: An example from one occupational group. In: Ganster D, Perrewé P, editors. Research in occupational stress and wellbeing series. New developments in theoretical and conceptual approaches to job stress. Volume 8. Bingley, UK: Emerald, p 137-197.
69. Shields M. 2002. Shift work and health. Health Rep 13:11-33.
70. Smith D. 1987. The everyday world as problematic: A feminist sociology. Boston: Northeastern University Press.
71. Smith D. 2005. Institutional ethnography: A sociology for people. Walnut Creek, CA: AltaMira Press.
72. Soteriades ES, Hauser R, Kawachi I, Liarokapis D, Christiani DC, Kales SN. 2005. Obesity and cardiovascular disease risk factors in firefighters: A prospective cohort study. Obes Res 13(10):1750-1763.
73. Staley J. 2009. Get firefighters moving: Marketing a physical fitness intervention to reduce sudden cardiac death risk in full-time firefighters. Soc Mark Q 15:85-99.
74. Stokols D. 1992. Establishing and maintaining healthy environments: Toward a social ecology of health promotion. Am Psychol 47:6-22.
75. Stokols D. 1996. Translating social ecological theory into guidelines for community health promotion. Am J Health Promot 10:282-298.
76. Strauss A, Corbin JM. 1990. Basics of qualitative research: Grounded theory procedures and techniques. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
77. Takeyama H, Itani T, Tachi N, Sakamura O, Murata K, Inoue T, Takanishi T, Suzumura H. S. N. 2009. Effects of a modified ambulance night shift system on fatigue and physiological function among ambulance paramedics. J Occup Health 51(3):204-209.
78. USFA. 2007. US Fire Administration. Retention and recruitment for volunteer emergency services: Challenges and solutions.
79. van Amelsvoort L, Schouten E, Kok F. 1999. Duration of shiftwork related to body mass index and waist to hip ratio. Int J Obes 23:973-978.
80. Wang Y, Beydoun M. 2007. The obesity epidemic in the United States-Gender, age, socioeconomic, racial/ethnic and geographic characteristics: A systematic review and meta-regression analysis. Epidemiol Rev 29:6-28.
81. Williams PT. 1997. Evidence for the incompatibility of age-neutral overweight and age-neutral physical activity standards from runners. Am J Clin Nutr 65:1391-1396.