Sandra Dorman - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Sandra Dorman

Safety and Health at Work, 2021

This is a PDF file of an article that has undergone enhancements after acceptance, such as the ad... more This is a PDF file of an article that has undergone enhancements after acceptance, such as the addition of a cover page and metadata, and formatting for readability, but it is not yet the definitive version of record. This version will undergo additional copyediting, typesetting and review before it is published in its final form, but we are providing this version to give early visibility of the article. Please note that, during the production process, errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain.

The FASEB Journal, Apr 1, 2018

International Journal of Wildland Fire, Jul 25, 2022

Critical to effective fire management is the protection and preparedness of highly trained wildla... more Critical to effective fire management is the protection and preparedness of highly trained wildland firefighters who routinely face extreme physical and psychological demands. To date, there is limited scientific evidence of psychosocial education intervention effectiveness in this context. The objective of the current study is to utilise a cluster randomised control trial study design to evaluate fitness training and psychosocial education intervention programs across a wildland fire season. Wildland firefighters (n = 230) were randomly assigned by their work location to one of four experimental conditions. Pre-and post-season assessments of primary (e.g. psychosocial risk factors, physical fitness and psychological capital) and secondary (e.g. work engagement, job stress and incidence of injury) outcomes facilitated comprehensive evaluation. The psychosocial education intervention program was effective at buffering participant appraisals of 12 of 13 psychosocial risk factors, namely: organisational culture, civility, psychological demands, balance, psychological support, leadership expectations, growth and development, influence, workload management, engagement, protection and safety. Participants in the psychosocial education intervention also reported lower stress relating to organisational support compared with those who not receiving the intervention program. Wildland firefighters receiving either or both intervention programs reported a significantly lower incidence rate of injury (9.9%) compared with the organisation's 5-year average (16.0%).

Global journal of health education and promotion, 2014

European Journal of Sport Science, 2019

Fat oxidation in cold environments and carbohydrate (CHO) use in hot environments are increased d... more Fat oxidation in cold environments and carbohydrate (CHO) use in hot environments are increased during exercise at steadystate submaximal workloads. However, the influence of cold and heat on fat and CHO oxidation curves remain unknown. We therefore examined the influence of a cold and warm ambient temperature on fat and CHO oxidation across a wide range of exercise intensities during treadmill and cycle ergometer exercise. Nine, young, healthy, male subjects completed four trials, during which they performed an incremental peak oxygen consumption (V̇O 2peak) test on a cycle ergometer or treadmill in a 4.6°C or 34.1°C environment. Substrate oxidation, maximal fat oxidation rate (MFO), and exercise intensity where MFO occurs (Fat max) were assessed via indirect calorimetry. MFO was significantly greater in the cold vs. warm during the treadmill exercise (0.66 ± 0.31 vs. 0.43 ± 0.23 g min −1 ; p = 0.02) but not during cycling (0.45 ± 0.24 vs. 0.29 ± 0.11 g min −1 ; p = 0.076). MFO was also greater during treadmill vs. cycling exercise, irrespective of ambient temperature (0.57 g min −1 vs. 0.37 g min −1 ; p = 0.04). Fat max was greater in the cold vs. warm for both treadmill (57 ± 20 vs. 37 ± 17% V̇O 2peak ; p = 0.025) and cycling (62 ± 28 vs. 36 ± 13%V̇O 2peak ; p = 0.003). Multiple, linear, mixed-effects regressions revealed a strong influence of ambient temperature on substrate oxidation. We demonstrated that exercising in a cold environment increases MFO and Fat max , predominantly during treadmill exercise. These results validate the implication of ambient temperature on energy metabolism over a wide range of exercise intensities.

Health Behavior and Policy Review, 2016

S chools play an important role in fostering the health behaviors that children adopt. The school... more S chools play an important role in fostering the health behaviors that children adopt. The school setting is an ideal environment in which to instill community health practices, as schools reach a high proportion of children (currently 2,015,423 in Ontario alone). 1-3 In Canada, decisions regarding education are made provincially, and each province/territory has its own Ministry of Education. 4 Therefore, each Ministry creates and implements its own curriculum and policies for all its school boards, based upon expert analysis of global best practice. 5 Likewise, the examination of the successes or failures of different curricula and policies can be instrumental for informing ongoing policy development, globally. In this paper, we examine a recent province-wide program implemented in Ontario and its resultant scheduling changes in the kindergarten classroom. The Program Until recently, children in Ontario attended kindergarten for 2 years (junior and senior kindergarten) and these grades partook in either a half day of schooling, 5 days per week, or attended school every-other-day on a rotating scheduling. Therefore, kindergarten students did not engage in full-time study until grade 1. However, with recent provincial changes, today, junior and senior kindergarten students attend school full-time. Given that junior kindergarten students can be as young as 3 years old, it is critical that schools effectively engage this young cohort to develop a love of learning. To achieve this goal, the Ministry then developed

International Journal of Human Movement and Sports Sciences, 2015

The ability to measure free-living and activity-specific energy expenditure (EE) is useful for a ... more The ability to measure free-living and activity-specific energy expenditure (EE) is useful for a variety of purposes. Heart rate variability (HRV) monitoring is emerging as a means for estimating EE and other physiological measures. The purpose of this study was to assess the accuracy of HRV-derived EE across a range of physical intensities and during free-living. Participants (n=30) completed two treadmill tests (walk and VO 2max) measuring EE via Indirect Calorimetry (IC) and with the FirstBeat Bodyguard HRV monitor. Participants also wore the HRV monitors continuously for four consecutive days under free-living conditions. During the walk test, HRV-EE estimates across analysis conditions correlated moderately with IC estimates of EE (r=0.60-0.75; p<0.05). During VO 2max testing, HRV-EE estimates across analysis conditions correlated strongly with IC estimates of EE with (r=0.85-0.98; p<0.05). During free-living conditions, daily average and 4-day total HRV-EE estimates across all analysis conditions correlated strongly (r=0.75-0.98; p<0.05). HRV-EE estimation improves as activity-intensity increases. HRV-EE estimates improve further with the addition of IC-measured HR max and VO 2max , particularly at low intensities; however, meaningful differences were not seen between values when considering group means. HRV-EE estimates are sufficiently accurate to indicate this method possesses practical utility and may be used for individual EE monitoring.

American Journal of Industrial Medicine

McIntyre Powder (MP) is a fine aluminum powder that was developed to prevent silicosis in gold an... more McIntyre Powder (MP) is a fine aluminum powder that was developed to prevent silicosis in gold and uranium mine workers in Ontario, Canada, and was administered to miners there from 1943 to 1979. Mine workers were exposed to high concentrations (35.6 mg/ m 3) of MP for approximately 10 min before every work shift. Contemporary physical and chemical characterizations of this powder have revealed that 12% of the powder is in the ultrafine particle size-range (nanoparticles); and the remaining 88%, in the fine particulate size range (below 2.5 µm in diameter). The confluence of ultrafine particulate (UFP) composition and high airborne concentration of MP would be expected to overwhelm the defense mechanisms of the lung and increase the lung dust burden of the mine worker exposed to respirable dust in the mine. Published studies revealing associations between air pollution particulates and increased risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) shown a dose-response relationship with ambient PM 2.5 and UFP and suggest that miners exposed to MP may also be at increased risk of CVD. The historical perspective of the use of MP in northern Ontario hard-rock mines and its potential implications for CVD in exposed mine workers are discussed.

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2021

Intervention programs designed, delivered, and evaluated by and within organizations are a critic... more Intervention programs designed, delivered, and evaluated by and within organizations are a critical component in the promotion of employee health and well-being and in the prevention of occupational injury. Critical for transference of findings across complex occupational settings is a clearly articulated development process, a reliance on and evaluation of underlying theoretical foundations, and the inclusion of relevant outcomes emerging out of participatory action processes. To date, there have been no documented efforts outlining the development, implementation, or evaluation of human dimension intervention programs targeting wildland firefighters. The purpose of this paper is to outline the development of two collaborative and participatory intervention programs, targeting wildland firefighters’ physical and psychological health and well-being. Two human dimension intervention programs were developed in a collaborative, iterative and participatory process following the Context–...

Introduction: As a preliminary step to addressing issues relating to the consumption of alcohol ... more Introduction: As a preliminary step to addressing issues relating to the consumption of alcohol at post-secondary institutions and engaging students in the health promotion process, our team conducted a campus-wide survey of the student population at three institutions in one Ontario community. The goals of our study were a) to assess trends in alcohol use among post-secondary students (as per Canada’s Low-Risk Alcohol Dinking Guidelines [LRADG]); b) to assess students’ awareness of the LRADG; and c) to identify best practice strategies from which students may benefit. Methods: All students enrolled at one of three post-secondary institutions received a request to complete an on-line survey. Results: A total of 1,829 students responded to the survey. Ninety-two percent of the students reported consuming alcohol in the past 12 months. Forty-one percent binge drank once a month or more during the past 12 months. A greater percentage of male students, students between the ages of ...

Journal of Applied Physiology, 2021

This is the first known study to investigate the effects of cold ambient temperatures on acute me... more This is the first known study to investigate the effects of cold ambient temperatures on acute metabolism during high-intensity interval exercise, as well as postprandial metabolism the next day. We observed that high-intensity interval exercise in a cold environment does change acute metabolism compared to a thermoneutral environment; however, the addition of a cold stimulus was less favorable for postprandial metabolic responses the following day.

Diversity of Research in Health Journal, 2017

In general, Francophones in Ontario are more likely than their Anglophone counterparts to suffer ... more In general, Francophones in Ontario are more likely than their Anglophone counterparts to suffer from overweight and obesity. It has also been established that Francophones, Canada-wide, eat fewer daily servings of fruits and vegetables than Anglophones and tend to consume more kilocalories from fat (Batal et al., 2013). Despite these trends, comparative investigations amongst Francophone and Anglophone children in Ontario have not been completed. Therefore, the purpose of this literature review will be to investigate research evidence regarding Francophone children in Ontario and whether they are more likely or less likely to suffer from overweight or obesity than Anglophone children in Ontario. In addition, we will examine research on cultural factors that may be different between the two linguistic groups and which may contribute to the prevalence of obesity. This literature review will present an overview of childhood obesity in Northern Ontario and Francophone and Anglophone cu...

Safety, 2020

A systematic analysis was conducted using ten occupational health and safety commissioned reports... more A systematic analysis was conducted using ten occupational health and safety commissioned reports from Canada, New Zealand, United States, United Kingdom, and Australia spanning from 1967 to 2015. The objective was to identify commonalities and differences in the key recommendations across the identified reports. The text-mining software Leximancer was utilized to analyze the content of the recommendations through the semantic extraction of dominant themes, and the relational extraction and mapping of thematic relationships against each other. The identified themes were then analyzed within the concept map to fully understand the relationships. Based on the concept map, the thematic analysis provided a longitudinal perspective of the recommendations, identifying six key themes and 49 sets of overlapping recommendations. Key themes included: health and safety hazards (n = 10), legislation, regulations and organizational structure (n = 13), emergency management and mine rescue (n = 9)...

Frontiers in Physiology, 2019

Background: Oxidative stress results in lipid, protein, and DNA oxidation, resulting in telomere ... more Background: Oxidative stress results in lipid, protein, and DNA oxidation, resulting in telomere erosion, chromosomal damage, and accelerated cellular aging. Training promotes healthy metabolic and oxidative profiles whereas the effects of multi-day, prolonged, and continuous exercise are unknown. This study investigated the effects of multi-day prolonged exercise on metabolic and oxidative stress as well as telomere integrity in healthy adults. Methods: Fifteen participants performed a 14-day, 260-km, wilderness canoeing expedition (12 males) (EXP) (24 ± 7 years, 72 ± 6 kg, 178 ± 8.0 cm, 18.4 ± 8.4% BF, 47.5 ± 9.3 mlO 2 kg −1 min −1), requiring 6-9 h of low-to moderate-intensity exercise daily. Ten controls participated locally (seven males) (CON) (31 ± 11 years, 72 ± 15 kg, 174 ± 10 cm, 22.8 ± 10.0% BF, 47.1 ± 9.0 mlO 2 kg −1 min −1). Blood plasma, serum, and mononuclear cells were sampled before and after the expedition to assess hormonal, metabolic, and oxidative changes. Results: Serum cholesterol, high-and low-density lipoprotein, testosterone, insulin, sodium, potassium, urea, and chloride concentrations were not different between groups, whereas triglycerides, glucose, and creatinine levels were lower following the expedition (p < 0.001). Malondialdehyde and relative telomere length (TL) were unaffected (EXP: 4.2 ± 1.3 vs. CON: 4.1 ± 0.7 µM; p > 0.05; EXP: 1.00 ± 0.48 vs. CON: 0.89 ± 0.28 TS ratio; p = 0.77, respectively); however, superoxidase dismutase activity was greater in the expedition group (3.1 ± 0.4 vs. 0.8 ± 0.5 U ml −1 ; p < 0.001). Conclusion: These results indicate a modest improvement in metabolic and oxidative profiles with increased superoxidase dismutase levels, suggesting an antioxidative

Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism, 2019

Objective. To validate an audio-video (AV) method of food journaling, in a free-living scenario, ... more Objective. To validate an audio-video (AV) method of food journaling, in a free-living scenario, compared to direct, weighed food assessment. Design and Setting. Data were collected in a cafeteria. Meals, selected by participants (n=30), were documented using the AV method: participants video-recorded their tray while audio-recording a description of their selected meal, after which the research team digitally weighed each food item and created an itemized diary record of the food. Variables Measured. Data from the AV method and from the weighed food diaries were transcribed and entered into a nutrition software analysis program (Nutribase Pro 10.0). Nutrient outputs were compared between the two methods including kilocalories, macronutrients, and selected micronutrients. Analyses. Using mean scores for each variable, Wilcoxon signed-rank test and Spearman’s correlation coefficients were conducted. Interclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was calculated for absolute agreement betwee...

Journal of occupational and environmental medicine, 2017

The aim of the study was to assess the sleep quality, quantity, and fatigue levels of Canadian wi... more The aim of the study was to assess the sleep quality, quantity, and fatigue levels of Canadian wildland firefighters while on deployment. Objective and subjective sleep and fatigue measures were collected using actigraphy and questionnaires during non-fire (Base) and fire (Initial Attack and Project) deployments. Suboptimal sleep quality and quantity were more frequently observed during high-intensity, Initial Attack fire deployments. Suboptimal sleep was also exhibited during non-fire (Base) work periods, which increases the risk of prefire deployment sleep debt. Self-reported, morning fatigue scores were low-to-moderate and highest for Initial Attack fire deployments. The study highlights the incidence of suboptimal sleep patterns in wildland firefighters during non-fire and fire suppression work periods. These results have implications for the health and safety practices of firefighters given the link between sleep and fatigue, in a characteristically hazardous occupation.