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Hindi Research Article
Work-related and Dietary Factors Associated with Weight Gain over the Period of Employment in Paramedics
Sandrine Hegg-Deloye1-3, Philippe Corbeil1,4*,Patrice Brassard1,2, Jérôme Prairie1,4, Dominique Larouche1,4, Nathalie Jauvin3, Pierre-Hugues Carmichael4, Paul Poirier2 and Angelo Tremblay1,21Department of Kinesiology, Laval University, Quebec City, QC, Canada
2University Institute of Cardiology and Pneumology, Laval Hospital, Laval University, Quebec City, QC, Canada
3Research Team RIPOST, CSSS De la Vieille Capitale (CAU), Quebec City, QC, Canada
4Center of Excellence on Aging Quebec Research Centre of the University Hospital of Quebec, Quebec City, QC, Canada
- *Corresponding Author:
- Philippe Corbeil
Faculty of Medicine
Department of Kinesiology
Laval University, Quebec, QC
G1V 0A6, Canada
Tel: 418-656-5604
E-mail: philippe.corbeil@kin.ulaval.ca
Received date: June 04, 2014; Accepted date: August 01, 2014; Published date: August 07, 2014
Citation: Hegg-Deloye S, Corbeil P, Brassard P, Prairie J, Larouche D et al. (2014) Work-related and Dietary Factors Associated with Weight Gain over the Period of Employment in Paramedics. Occup Med Health Aff 2:173. doi: 10.4172/2329-6879.1000173
Copyright: © 2014 Hegg-Deloye et al.This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Abstract
Background: Recent studies reported high body mass index values in paramedic, with a high percentage of workers being considered overweight or obese. However, little evidence exists regarding which factors explained weight gain over time in paramedics. Objective: This study evaluated whether occupational stress, tobacco consumption, sleeping problems or emotional food disinhibition were associated with weight gain over time in paramedics compared to a control group. Method: A retrospective study was performed. The study consisted in a self-report questionnaire composed of 84 questions related to sleeping problems, emotional food disinhibition, tobacco consumption and occupational stress. Occupational stress was evaluated through lack of social support and effort-reward imbalance. A repeated measures regression model was used to explore relationships between body mass index (BMI) and characteristics related to employment. Results: Questionnaires from 283 controls and 295 paramedics were analyzed. Paramedics, but not controls, gained BMI over the period of employment, as shown by a significant interaction between Time and Occupation (F(2, 568)=6.28; p=.002). Men were more likely to gain BMI over the period of employment (F(1,568)=42.95; p<. 0001). Among all covariates tested, tobacco consumption (F(1,568)=5.68; p=.02), supervisor support (F(1,568)=5.25; p=.02) and emotional disinhibition of eating (F(3,568)=7.51; p<.0001) had a significant effect on BMI for both groups. Conclusion: Paramedics experienced a greater increase in BMI over their years of employment than controls, often leading to obesity. These findings suggest that both work environment and organizational factors influence weight gain among paramedics and other workers.
