Term of Award
Spring 2022
Degree Name
Master of Science in Kinesiology (M.S.)
Document Type and Release Option
Thesis (restricted to Georgia Southern)
Copyright Statement / License for Reuse
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Department
Department of Health and Kinesiology
Committee Chair
Bridget Melton
Committee Member 1
Gregory Grosicki
Committee Member 2
Haresh Rochani
Abstract
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the number one cause of on-duty death among firefighters, with the vast majority of these events surrounding fire suppression activities. Elevated arterial stiffness, which has been demonstrated as an independent predictor of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, among firefighters can be a potential contributor to the high rates of CVD related events surrounding this population. Little research has been conducted on cardiorespiratory fitness and arterial stiffness levels in firefighters. Therefore, it was our goal to examine the association between arterial stiffness and cardiorespiratory fitness in a population of firefighters. METHODS: Twenty male firefighters (34±8 yrs) participated in a standardized fire simulation training exercise. Cardiovascular measurements including heart rate, brachial and aortic blood pressure, arterial stiffness (cf-PWV), and augmentation index (AIx) were assessed and compared before and after the fire simulation training. Associations between cf-PWV and AI (resting and change (Δ) following the fire simulation) with cardiorespiratory fitness (VO2max) were assessed using linear regression models. RESULTS: VO2max was inversely associated with cf-PWV (p < 0.01) and AIx (p < 0.05). Additionally, VO2max was positively associated (p0.05). For every increase in VO2max by 1 mL/kg/min, cf-PWV saw a reduction of 0.084 m/s (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: In firefighters, cardiorespiratory fitness appears to protect against arterial stiffness. Future studies to determine the long-term implications of acute changes in arterial stiffness, which were positively related to cardiorespiratory fitness, are needed.
OCLC Number
1341212623
Catalog Permalink
https://galileo-georgiasouthern.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01GALI_GASOUTH/1r4bu70/alma9916557646702950
Recommended Citation
Nagel, Thomas, "The Role of Cardiorespiratory Fitness to Attenuate Arterial Stiffness in Firefighters" (2022). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 2369.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/2369
Research Data and Supplementary Material
No
