ASPO Abstracts
Firefighter health behaviors linked to cancer: a latent class analysis approach
Category: Lifestyles Behavior, Energy Balance & Chemoprevention
Conference Year: 2023
Abstract Body:
Purpose: Given the lack research examining health behaviors linked to cancer among firefighters, the purpose of this pilot study was to use latent class analysis (LCA) to better understand firefighter health profiles, Methods: Firefighters in a medium-sized city were contacted to complete a survey (n=171). Participants were asked basic demographic questions and engagement in six health behaviors: physical activity (at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity per week), fruit and vegetable consumption (at least 5 fruits and vegetables per day), alcohol (drink once a week or less), cigarette use (have not smoked at least 100 cigarettes in lifetime), sleep quality (at least fairly good sleep quality), and sleep quantity (at least 7 hours per night). Firefighters answered questions about their cancer beliefs, social support, and perceived stress. Results: Using Mplus, LCA was conducted to determine the number of health profiles. The best fitting model was a 2-class model. In Class 1 (24.3% of firefighters), almost all firefighters reported good sleep quality and adequate sleep quantity, compared to Class 2 (75.7% of firefighters), where half of firefighters reported good sleep quality, but none reported adequate sleep quantity. Firefighters in Class 2 were more physically active than those in Class 1. The classes did not differ in other health behaviors. A logistic regression model was conducted to assess variables associated with class membership. Compared to White firefighters, Black/African American or other race firefighters were more likely to be in Class 2 (OR = 2.62, p = .041). Compared to non-college educated firefighters, college educated firefighters were less likely to be in Class 2 (OR = 0.45, p = .051). Compared to firefighters who had less fire service experience, those with more experience were less likely to be in Class 2 (OR = 0.95, p = .020). Social support, cancer beliefs, and perceived stress were not associated with class membership. Conclusions: We took a person-centered approach to better understand firefighter health profiles, with two subgroups emerging. Several demographic variables were associated with the health profiles. The findings provide implications for future firefighter health behavior interventions.
Keywords: firefighters; cancer prevention; health behaviors; occupational health