{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,28]],"date-time":"2025-11-28T12:01:28Z","timestamp":1764331288552,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":43,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,2,21]],"date-time":"2025-02-21T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1740096000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Research Center in Physical Activity, Health, and Leisure\u2014CIAFEL, Faculty of Sport, University of Porto, the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology","award":["UIDB\/00617\/2020","LA\/P\/OO64\/2020"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UIDB\/00617\/2020","LA\/P\/OO64\/2020"]}]},{"name":"Laboratory for Integrative and Translational Research in Population Health (ITR), Porto, Portugal","award":["UIDB\/00617\/2020","LA\/P\/OO64\/2020"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UIDB\/00617\/2020","LA\/P\/OO64\/2020"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Life"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Firefighters face significant physical demands, necessitating optimal fitness and health monitoring. This study examined the relationships between body composition, bone mineral density, handgrip strength, and pulmonary function in professional firefighters in Porto, Portugal. Methods: Sixty-eight firefighters underwent assessments, including anthropometry, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) for body composition and bone density, handgrip dynamometry, and spirometry for lung function. Results: 36.5% of participants were overweight, and 33.3% had obesity (Grade 1). Men exhibited greater muscle mass, bone density, and handgrip strength (48.7 \u00b1 7.8 kg vs. 31.6 \u00b1 3.6 kg) compared to women. Spirometry revealed normal lung function in 95.2% of participants, though 20.6% demonstrated handgrip strength values below the risk threshold, indicating vulnerability to reduced physical fitness and an increased risk of injury. Significant correlations were observed between lean mass and both handgrip strength (\u03c1 = 0.551, p &lt; 0.001) and pulmonary function, including forced vital capacity (\u03c1 = 0.465, p &lt; 0.001). Conclusions: This study underscores the role of body composition, muscle strength, and pulmonary function in firefighters\u2019 health and safety. These findings suggest that these factors are linked to physical fitness and may influence overall health outcomes. Interventions focusing on improving strength and managing body weight could help to reduce health risks and enhance firefighter well-being.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/life15030334","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,2,21]],"date-time":"2025-02-21T06:39:07Z","timestamp":1740119947000},"page":"334","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Muscle, Fat, Bone, and Lungs: Unlocking the Fitness and Health Equation of Firefighters in Porto, Portugal"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2974-6343","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Giorjines","family":"Boppre","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Research Center in Physical Activity, Health and Leisure (CIAFEL), Faculty of Sports, University of Porto (FADEUP), 4200-450 Porto, Portugal"},{"name":"Laboratory for Integrative and Translational Research in Population Health (ITR), 4050-600 Porto, Portugal"},{"name":"Nucleus of Research in Human Movement Science, Universidad Adventista de Chile, Chill\u00e1n 3780000, Chile"}]},{"given":"Jo\u00e3o Pedro Rocha","family":"Nunes","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Research Center in Physical Activity, Health and Leisure (CIAFEL), Faculty of Sports, University of Porto (FADEUP), 4200-450 Porto, Portugal"}]},{"given":"David Gomes","family":"Fernandes","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Research Center in Physical Activity, Health and Leisure (CIAFEL), Faculty of Sports, University of Porto (FADEUP), 4200-450 Porto, Portugal"}]},{"given":"Bruno Jo\u00e3o de Castro Sousa e Ribeiro","family":"Carlos","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Research Center in Physical Activity, Health and Leisure (CIAFEL), Faculty of Sports, University of Porto (FADEUP), 4200-450 Porto, Portugal"}]},{"given":"Jo\u00e3o Miguel Neves","family":"Barros","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Research Center in Physical Activity, Health and Leisure (CIAFEL), Faculty of Sports, University of Porto (FADEUP), 4200-450 Porto, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0006-7682-8885","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Aline Teixeira Maia","family":"de Freitas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Research Center in Physical Activity, Health and Leisure (CIAFEL), Faculty of Sports, University of Porto (FADEUP), 4200-450 Porto, Portugal"},{"name":"Laboratory for Integrative and Translational Research in Population Health (ITR), 4050-600 Porto, Portugal"}]},{"given":"Jos\u00e9 Augusto Rodrigues","family":"dos Santos","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center of Research, Education, Innovation and Intervention in Sport (CIFI2D), Faculty of Sport, University of Porto, 4200-450 Porto, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0494-0000","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Rodrigo","family":"Zacca","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Research Center in Physical Activity, Health and Leisure (CIAFEL), Faculty of Sports, University of Porto (FADEUP), 4200-450 Porto, Portugal"},{"name":"Laboratory for Integrative and Translational Research in Population Health (ITR), 4050-600 Porto, Portugal"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,2,21]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"Portugueses, L.d.B. 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