Prevalence of risk factors for cardiovascular disease in paramedics

Auteurs

S. Hegg-Deloye, Groupe de recherche en analyse du mouvement et ergonomie, Kinésiologie, Université Laval, Quebec, G1V 0A6, QC, Canada, Institut Universitaire de Cardiologie et de Pneumologie de Québec, Hôpital Laval, Université Laval, Quebec, QC, Canada, RIPOST, CSSS De la Vieille Capitale (CAU), Quebec, QC, Canada
P. Brassard, Groupe de recherche en analyse du mouvement et ergonomie, Kinésiologie, Université Laval, Quebec, G1V 0A6, QC, Canada, Institut Universitaire de Cardiologie et de Pneumologie de Québec, Hôpital Laval, Université Laval, Quebec, QC, Canada
J. Prairie, Groupe de recherche en analyse du mouvement et ergonomie, Kinésiologie, Université Laval, Quebec, G1V 0A6, QC, Canada
D. Larouche, Groupe de recherche en analyse du mouvement et ergonomie, Kinésiologie, Université Laval, Quebec, G1V 0A6, QC, Canada
N. Jauvin, RIPOST, CSSS De la Vieille Capitale (CAU), Quebec, QC, Canada
P. Poirier, Institut Universitaire de Cardiologie et de Pneumologie de Québec, Hôpital Laval, Université Laval, Quebec, QC, Canada
A. Tremblay, Institut Universitaire de Cardiologie et de Pneumologie de Québec, Hôpital Laval, Université Laval, Quebec, QC, Canada
P. Corbeil, Groupe de recherche en analyse du mouvement et ergonomie, Kinésiologie, Université Laval, Quebec, G1V 0A6, QC, Canada, Vieillissement, Centre de recherche FRSQ du centre hospitalier affilié universitaire de Québec, Quebec, QC, Canada

Type de document

Études primaires

Année de publication

2015

Langue

Anglais

Titre de la revue

International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health

Première page

973

Dernière page

980

Résumé

Purpose: Occupational stress and obesity are very prevalent in emergency workers. Some studies have also associated high tobacco consumption rates with occupational stress. Each of these factors is known to increase cardiovascular risk. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of occupational stress, overweight and tobacco consumption in paramedics.

Methods: This cross-sectional study of paramedics consisted in a self-report survey of 44 questions divided into two sections. The first section collected demographic information and the second evaluated occupational stressors. The questions were designed to determine the prevalence of work-related psychosocial factors, overweight (body mass index ≥ 25 kg/m2) and tobacco consumption (cig/day ≥ 1). The demand-control-social support model and the effort–reward model were used to estimate job strain, iso-strain and imbalance in effort and reward.

Results: More than 88 % of paramedics reported at least one cardiovascular risk factor, with males reporting more risk factors than females. Ninety percent of male paramedics reported occupational stress, 12 % reported smoking, and 79 % were overweight or obese by self-report. The prevalence of occupational stress and smoking was similar for female paramedics, but with a lower prevalence of overweight (37 %).

Conclusion: By self-report, nine out of ten paramedics are at risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Both individual and organizational efforts should be made to educate and support paramedics and their organizations in reducing these workers’ cardiovascular risk. © 2015, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.

Mots-clés

Critère de risque, Hazard criteria, Affection cardiovasculaire, Cardiovascular disease, Ambulance

Numéro de projet IRSST

n/a

Citation recommandée

Hegg-Deloye, S., Brassard, P., Prairie, J., Larouche, D., Jauvin, N., Poirier, P., . . . Corbeil, P. (2015). Prevalence of risk factors for cardiovascular disease in paramedics. International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health, 88(7), 973-980. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-015-1028-z