Improving Cardiovascular Risk Profiles in Firefighters

Firefighters fall behind in the general public in meeting optimal levels of the seven American Heart Association metrics of cardiovascular health. Selected interventions for decreasing firefighter cardiovascular disease and risks are reviewed. Many cardiovascular risk factors are related to lifestyle and firefighters are at increased risk for cardiovascular events. Healthy People 2020 and the American Heart Association have goals to improve cardiovascular health nationally. The American Heart Association [1] defined ideal cardiovascular health as the absence of clinically manifested cardiovascular disease and the presence of optimal levels of seven metrics. These seven metrics include diet quality, physical activity, smoking, body mass index (BMI), blood cholesterol, blood pressure, and glucose. However, evidence demonstrates that firefighters whether career or volunteer fall woefully behind the general public in meeting these optimal levels for several reasons.