Cancer Prevention Among Firefighters: Examining Lifestyle, Screening Behavior, and Beliefs

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Cancer Epidemiology
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Firefighters face elevated cancer risks from occupational exposures.
• Lifestyle factors like diet, physical activity, cancer beliefs, and screening behaviors also influence cancer risk.
• Understanding individual differences is crucial for targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• Identify individual differences linked to lifestyle, cancer screening, and beliefs in firefighters.
• Describe firefighters' adaptive strategies for managing work schedules.
• Determine key workplace topics firefighters deem important.

Main Methods:

• A survey was administered to 171 career firefighters in a mid-sized U.S. city.
• Logistic regression analyses were used to identify predictors of various health-related outcomes.
• Data focused on cancer screening, lifestyle behaviors, and cancer beliefs.

Main Results:

• Age, education, and racial identity were significant predictors across most outcomes.
• Top adaptive strategies included sleep management (quantity, napping), exercise, and social support.
• Firefighters prioritized sleep, mental health/well-being, and work-life balance as key workplace topics.

Conclusions:

• Occupational health interventions for firefighters should account for individual differences like age, education, and racial identity.
• Interventions focusing on mental health, work-life balance, and sleep may be highly valued by firefighters.
• Reducing attention on occupational exposures suggests a need for improved communication and prioritization.