American Journal of Public Health
November 2004, Volume 94, Number 11, Pages:1938-39
Copyright © 2003 American Public Health Association.

Risk of Hospitalization among Firefighters:
The National Health Interview Survey 1986-1994

David Lee, PhD ^1*, LeBlanc, W, PhD ¹, Lora E. Fleming, MD, PhD ¹,
Orlando Gómez-Marín, PhD, MSc ^1,2, Pitman, Terry BA ^1
1Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, Florida
²Department of Pediatrics, University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, Florida

email: Terry Pitman

*Correspondence to David Lee, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Miami School of Medicine, 1801 NW 9th Avenue, Suite 200, Highland Professional Building, Miami, Florida, 33136.

Funded by:

NIOSH; Grant Number: R01 0H03915

Abstract

Objectives:
Assess risk of hospitalization among firefighters.

Methods:
Data were derived from a nationally representative sample of 238,236 employed males from the National Health Interview Survey.

Results:
Firefighters 30-39 years of age were at significantly increased risk of hospitalization relative to other employed adults in the same age group (odds ratio= 1.93 [95% confidence interval: 1.21-3.09]).

Conclusions:
Findings from this study and others support the call for longitudinal studies to monitor the health of this high-risk occupational group.