Barriers and Solutions to Improving Nutrition Among Fire Academy Recruits: A Qualitative Assessment

Details

• Personal Author:
  Coyle M ; Jin Q ; Kales SN ; Rainey D ; Sotos-Prieto M
• Description:
  The primary health concerns among US firefighters are cardiovascular disease, cancer, and depression and occur in an occupational setting where dietary habits are suboptimal. To understand if a diet or lifestyle modification works in a fire academy training setting, it is important to evaluate the cultural barriers and challenges that might be faced. A semi-structured telephone interview method followed by a focus group was used to gather common themes among fire service leaders. Twelve leaders participated in the telephonic interviews and a subset of five in the subsequent group session. Five main themes were identified. The study identified a need for staff and recruits to develop a cohesive culture that facilitates long-term change. Participants reported that incentives for good choices and the elimination of certain poor choices from the food environment would promote healthier choices. The study supports an intervention using education of fire recruits and modifications of the fire academy food environment. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Diet Firefighters Health Promotion Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Firefighters Fire Academy Fire Fighters Food Health Promotion Lifestyle Intervention Programme Mediterranean Diet Nutrition Physical Fitness Qualitative Study
• ISSN:
  0963-7486
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Massachusetts ; Ohio ; OSHA Region 1 ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  70
• Issue:
  6
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20062286
• Citation:
  Int J Food Sci Nutr 2019 Sep; 70(6):771-779
• Contact Point Address:
  Mercedes Sotos-Prieto, Division of Food and Nutrition Sciences, School of Applied Health Sciences and Wellness, Ohio University, Athens, OH, 45701, USA
• Email:
  sotospri@ohio.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2019
• Performing Organization:
  Harvard School of Public Health
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition
• End Date:
  20280630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:966eed0f5a860ba3016a3c204036ad0414c83e20113f18fecd56d2c099578d42e9f3ec4a105c640d8fab9760fc231251cec4af4c11e1cb03f32fe8bd875cc32e
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/225566/cdc_225566_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.10 MB ]