The Time Course of Health, Fitness, and Occupational Performance Changes in Recruits Across a Fire Academy

Details

• Personal Author:
  Gerstner GR ; Giuliani-Dewig HK ; Mota JA ; Ryan ED ; Smith-Ryan AE ; Wohlgemuth KJ
• Description:
  Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the time course of health, fitness, and occupational performance changes in firefighter recruits across a fire academy. Methods: Nineteen recruits (24.9 +/- 4.3 yr; 26.7 +/- 3.1 kg·m-2) had their body composition, balance, vertical jump (VJ) performance, cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), upper and lower body strength, hamstrings-to-quadriceps (H/Q) ratio, lower back endurance, and weighted stair climb (SC) performance assessed at the beginning (week 1 [W1]), midpoint (week 15 [W15]), and end (week 30 [W30]) of a fire academy. Results: The fire academy improved body composition, balance, CRF, leg extension strength, and SC performance from W1 to W15 (P = 0.042) which then plateaued at W30 (P = 0.314). Leg flexion strength and the H/Q ratio decreased from W1 to W15 (P = 0.035) and plateaued at W30 (P = 0.947). Upper body strength was similar at W1 and W15 (P = 0.999), but decreased at W30 (P = 0.033). However, no significant changes occurred across the academy for VJ performance or lower back endurance (P = 0.090). Conclusions These findings highlight the positive effect of the academy on body composition, CRF, balance, SC performance, and leg extension strength. However, the decreases in upper body and leg flexion strength, the H/Q ratio, and lack of changes in VJ performance and low back endurance may highlight key areas of need to maximize injury prevention and performance enhancement efforts in the academy. Further, the varied time course of changes may help fire departments identify opportunities to modify exercise programming across their academies. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Firefighters Musculoskeletal System Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Aerobic Capacity Author Keywords: Firefighter Body Composition Body Mechanics Endurance Tests Fire Fighters Muscle Function Muscle Strength Performance Tests Physical Fitness Physiological Testing Stair Climb

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• ISSN:
  0195-9131
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  North Carolina ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 4 ; OSHA Region 6 ; Texas ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  55
• Issue:
  6
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20068230
• Citation:
  Med Sci Sports Exerc 2023 Jun; 55(6):1087-1096
• Contact Point Address:
  Eric D. Ryan, Ph.D., Department of Exercise and Sport Science, Adjunct Allied Health Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 209 Fetzer Hall, CB #8700, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-8700
• Email:
  edryan@email.unc.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2023
• NORA Priority Area:
  Healthcare and Social Assistance
• Performing Organization:
  University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20210901
• Source Full Name:
  Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise
• End Date:
  20260831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:785087ff8cb703e8e23332a357aea75e5a70e4f4d7fa6a7ca09cc5895d8d571d59fcbebdc2ea079be18be3ab9e1093b64ac15bf4d9f9a439c7bd2d08b45c9cf6
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/230432/cdc_230432_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 303.89 KB ]