Associations of socio-demographic factors, lifestyle factors and chronotype with body weight status among firefighters in Selangor

Nan, Wong Jenn (2020) Associations of socio-demographic factors, lifestyle factors and chronotype with body weight status among firefighters in Selangor. [Project Paper] (Submitted)

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Abstract

Firefighter is a profession whose working schedule follows a shift basis. The exposure to shift work especially at night, is claimed to be associated with increased risk of stress level and obesity. Previous studies have reported a high prevalence of overweight and obesity among firefighters but the factors associated with it remain unclear. Therefore, this cross-sectional study aimed to determine the factors associated with body weight status among firefighters in Selangor. A total of 113 firefighters from 6 randomly selected fire and rescue department branches in Selangor with a mean age of 29.68 ± 7.52 years old participated in this study. A self-administered questionnaire was used to obtain information on socio-demographic background, physical activity level, sleeping quality, social jet lag, meal pattern and chronotype. Anthropometric measurements including weight, height, waist circumference, and body fat percentage were measured by the researcher following standard procedures. Results showed that half of the firefighters (50.0%) were overweight or obese with a mean body mass index (BMI) of 25.81 ± 3.76 kg/m2. Their mean body fat percentage was 22.83 ± 7.81%, with 36.9% of them had excessive body fat percentage (≥25%). The mean waist circumference of the firefighters in this study was 83.29 ± 8.53 cm, with 19.3% had abdominal obesity. Almost all (96.3%) of them were physically active, whereas 55.8% had a poor sleep quality. A total of 43.4%, 42.5% and 52.2% skipped breakfast, lunch and dinner at least once or more times in a week, respectively. In term of chronotype, 71.7% were intermediate type, 26.3% were morning type and 1.8% were evening type. Years of service (χ2 = 21.544, p < 0.001) and marital status (χ2 = 9.627, p = 0.002) were significantly associated with BMI. Those who were married and who served the fire and rescue department for longer duration were more likely to be overweight and obese. However, there were no associations found between physical activity, sleep quality, social jet lag, meal skipping behavior and chronotype with BMI (p>0.5). In conclusion, findings suggest that the prevalence of overweight and obesity among firefighters in this study was high. Those who have served longer in the service and married may pay lesser concern towards their BMI. Future studies are recommended to include other factors such as dietary intake, depression symptom, and physical fitness in relation to the development of overweight and obesity in this occupational group

Item Type:	Project Paper
Faculty:	Faculty of Medicine and Health Science
Depositing User:	Ms Norafizah Radzuan
Date Deposited:	04 Sep 2023 04:14
Last Modified:	04 Sep 2023 04:14
URI:	http://psaspb.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/1243

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