The relationship between cardiorespiratory fitness and firefighter occupational performance: a systematic review and meta-analysis examining absolute versus relative VO2max.

Unequivocally greater cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is beneficial for performing firefighting occupational tasks (OTs); however, the contribution of absolute vs. relative VO2max with OT performance warrants further study. This systematic review and meta-analysis compared the relationship between r...

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Publicado en:Ergonomics Vol. 69; no. 4; pp. 561 - 579
Autores principales: Martin, Joel R., Clark, Nicholas C., Newman, Kayleigh, Fyock-Martin, Marcie, Abel, Mark G.
Formato: meta analysis pictorial research systematic review tables/charts Journal Article
Publicado: Taylor & Francis Ltd Apr2026
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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      dt: Apr2026
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      pub: Taylor & Francis Ltd
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        10.1080/00140139.2025.2471542
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        atl: The relationship between cardiorespiratory fitness and firefighter occupational performance: a systematic review and meta-analysis examining absolute versus relative VO2max.
      aug:
        au:
          Martin, Joel R.
          Clark, Nicholas C.
          Newman, Kayleigh
          Fyock-Martin, Marcie
          Abel, Mark G.
        affil: Sports Medicine Assessment Research & Testing (SMART) Laboratory, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, USA
      sug:
        subj:
          Firefighters Psychosocial Factors
          Firefighting
          Occupational Health
          Cardiorespiratory Fitness
          Oxygen Consumption
          Task Performance and Analysis
          Human
          Male
          Female
          Audiology
          Middle Age
          Systematic Review
          Meta Analysis
          PubMed
          CINAHL Database
          SportDiscus
          Descriptive Statistics
          Data Analysis Software
          Physical Fitness
          Confidence Intervals
          Ergonomics
          Checklists
          Middle Aged: 45-64 years
          Male
          Female
      ab: Unequivocally greater cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is beneficial for performing firefighting occupational tasks (OTs); however, the contribution of absolute vs. relative VO2max with OT performance warrants further study. This systematic review and meta-analysis compared the relationship between relative and absolute VO2max with the performance of firefighting OTs. Studies included career, volunteer, and firefighter recruits and examined the association of CRF measures with OT performance. Thirty-two studies were identified with 19 studies incorporating an occupational circuit of simulated firefighting OTs such as stair climbing, carrying equipment, victim rescue, forcible entry, and search tasks. The relative and absolute VO2max pooled correlations were r̅ =–0.64 (95%CI: [–0.69,–0.58]) and r̅ = −0.75 (95%CI: [−0.88, −0.62]), respectively. The findings support the importance of CRF, particularly absolute VO2max, for effective performance of firefighting OTs. Absolute VO2max likely has a stronger relationship with firefighters' functional work rate during operations, reflecting the absolute demands of firefighting tasks. Practitioner Summary: This systematic review and meta-analysis examined the relationship between absolute and relative VO2max and firefighter task performance. Findings revealed that absolute VO2max has a stronger correlation with occupational task efficiency, emphasising its relevance for firefighter readiness. The results provide insights for developing cardiorespiratory fitness standards and guidelines in the fire service.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype:
        meta analysis
        pictorial
        research
        systematic review
        tables/charts
        Journal Article
      ougenre: Article
    language: English
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