Feasibility and Perception of a Diet and Exercise Intervention Delivered via Telehealth to Firefighters

Stephanie Donahue, Carly McMorrow, Andrew A Almeida, Deborah L Feairheller, Stephanie Donahue, Carly McMorrow, Andrew A Almeida, Deborah L Feairheller

Abstract

Introduction: Firefighters have a high risk of cardiovascular incidence due to their poor health, fitness, and dietary habits. The purpose of this study was to examine the feasibility of a diet and exercise intervention within firefighters delivered exclusively via telehealth to help reduce the risks of cardiovascular disease. Additionally, the firefighters' perception of their health was assessed.

Methods: Fifteen firefighters participated in a six-week Mediterranean diet and a functional circuit exercise intervention with pre- and post-fitness testing and survey completion. The firefighters had weekly video calls with their telehealth coach.

Results: Self-assessed health improved with the intervention from an average of 5.9 to 7.9 out of 10. Both weight and BMI significantly decreased with the intervention. Overall, firefighters had high adherence to both portions of the intervention.

Discussion: Telehealth interventions may be efficacious in improving firefighter fitness levels and overall health as firefighters saw positive health and fitness improvements.

Keywords: Feasibility; Firefighters; Intervention; Telehealth.

Copyright © 2022 Stephanie Donahue, Carly McMorrow, Andrew A. Almeida, Deborah L. Feairheller.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Firefighter Perception of Adherence

References

    1. Almeida, A., Reeve, E., Dickinson, R., Carty, M., Gilpin, J., & Feairheller, D. (2021). Civilians have higher adherence and more improvements in health with a Mediterranean diet and circuit training program compared to firefighters. University of New Hampshire, NH.
    1. American College of Sports Medicine. In Riebe, D., In Ehrman, J. K., In Liguori, G., & In Magal, M. (2018). ACSM's guidelines for exercise testing and prescription. Wolters Kluwer.
    1. Andrews, K.L., Gallagher, S., & Herring, M. P. (2019). The effects of exercise interventions on health and fitness of firefighters: A meta-analysis. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, 29(6), 780–790. 10.1111/sms.13411
    1. Chen, A.C., Ramirez, F.D., Rosenthal, D.N., Couch, S.C., Berry, S., Stauffer, K.J., Brabender, J., McDonald, N., Lee, D., Barkoff, L., Nourse, S.E., Kazmucha, J., Wang, C.J., Olson, I., & Selamet Tierney, E. S. (2020). Healthy hearts via live videoconferencing: An exercise and diet intervention in pediatric heart transplant recipients. Journal of the American Heart Association, 9(3), e013816. 10.1161/JAHA.119.013816
    1. Donovan, R., Nelson, T., Peel, J., Lipsey, T., Voyles, W., & Israel, R. G. (2009). Cardiorespiratory fitness and the metabolic syndrome in firefighters. Occupational Medicine, 59(7), 487–492. 10.1093/occmed/kqp095
    1. Elliot, D.L., Goldberg, L., Kuehl, K.S., Moe, E.L., Breger, R.K.R., & Pickering, M. A. (2007). The PHLAME (Promoting Healthy Lifestyles: Alternative Models' Effects) firefighter study: Outcomes of two models of behavior change. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 49(2), 204–213. 10.1097/JOM.0b013e3180329a8d
    1. Galloway, M., Marsden, D.L., Callister, R., Nilsson, M., Erickson, K.I., & English, C. (2019). The feasibility of a telehealth exercise program aimed at increasing cardiorespiratory fitness for people after stroke. International Journal of Telerehabilitation, 11(2), 9–28. 10.5195/ijt.2019.6290
    1. Geibe, J.R., Holder, J., Peeples, L., Kinney, A.M., Burress, J.W., & Kales, S. N. (2008). Predictors of on-duty coronary events in male firefighters in the United States. American Journal of Cardiology, 101(5), 585–589. 10.1016/j.amjcard.2007.10.017
    1. Gibson, A., & Sainsbury, A. (2017). Strategies to improve adherence to dietary weight loss interventions in research and real-world settings. Behavioral Sciences, 7(3), 44. 10.3390/bs7030044
    1. Joo-Young, L., Kim, S., Young-Joon, J., Yoon-Jeong, B., & Park, J. (2014). Component contribution of personal protective equipment to the alleviation of physiological strain in firefighters during work and recovery. Ergonomics, 57(7), 1068–1077. 10.1080/00140139.2014.907449
    1. Kelly, J.T., Warner, M.M., Conley, M., Reidlinger, D.P., Hoffmann, T., Craig, J., Tong, A., Reeves, M., Johnson, D.W., Palmer, S., & Campbell, K. L. (2019). Feasibility and acceptability of telehealth coaching to promote healthy eating in chronic kidney disease: A mixed-methods process evaluation. British Medical Journal Open, 9(1). 10.1136/bmjopen-2018-024551
    1. Lovejoy, S., Gillespie, G.L., & Christianson, J. (2015). Exploring physical health in a sample of firefighters. Workplace Health & Safety, 63(6), 253–258. 10.1177/2165079915576922
    1. Martin, Z.T., Schlaff, R.A., Hemenway, J.K., Coulter, J.R., Knous, J.L., Lowry, J.E., & Ode, J. J. (2019). Cardiovascular disease risk factors and physical fitness in volunteer firefighters, International Journal of Exercise Science, 12(2), 764–776, PMID: PMID:
    1. Mclaughlin, K.C., Perez, A.N., Donahue, S., & Feairheller, D. L. (2021). Tactical circuit training improves blood pressure and vascular health more than resistance training. International Journal of Exercise Science, 14(3). PMID: ; PMID: .
    1. National Fire Protection Association. (2021). NFPA 1583 Standard on health-related fitness programs for fire department members. National Fire Protection Association.
    1. Olfert, M.D., Barr, M.L., Hagedorn, R.L., Long, D.M., Haggerty, T.S., Weimer, M., Golden, J., Maurer, M.A., Cochran, J.D., Hendershot, T., Whanger, S.L., Mason, J.D., & Hodder, S. L. (2019). Feasibility of a mhealth approach to nutrition counseling in an Appalachian state. Journal of Personalized Medicine, 9(4), 50. 10.3390/jpm9040050
    1. Reeve, E., Picicci, F., & Deborah L, F. (2021). Validation of a Mediterranean Diet Scoring System for intervention-based research. Journal of Nutritional Medicine and Diet Care, 7(1), 053. 10.23937/2572-3278/1510053
    1. Sheaff, A.K., Bennett, A., Hanson, E.D., Kim, Y., Hsu, J., Shim, J.K., Edwards, S.T., & Hurley, B. F. (2010). Physiological determinants of the Candidate Physical Ability Test in firefighters. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 24(11), 3112–22.
    1. Shimbo, D., Artinian, N.T., Basile, J.N., Krakoff, L.R., Margolis, K.L., Rakotz, M.K., & Wozniak, G. (2020). Self-measured blood pressure monitoring at home: A joint policy statement from the American Heart Association and American Medical Association., Circulation, 142(4), E42–E63. Lippincott Williams and Wilkins. 10.1161/CIR.0000000000000803
    1. Virani, S.S., Alonso, A., Aparicio, H.J., Benjamin, E.J., Bittencourt, M.S., Callaway, C.W., Carson, A.P., Chamberlain, A.M., Cheng, S., Delling, F.N., Elkind, M.S.V., Evenson, K.R., Ferguson, J.F., Gupta, D.K., Khan, S.S., Kissela, B.M., Knutson, K.L., Lee, C.D., Lewis, T.T., … Tsao, C. W. (2021). Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics—2021 Update. Circulation, 143(8). 10.1161/CIR.0000000000000950
    1. Yang, J., Farioli, A., Korre, M., & Kales, S. N. (2015). Dietary preferences and nutritional information needs among career firefighters in the United States. Global Advances in Health and Medicine, 4(4), 16–23. 10.7453/gahmj.2015.050
    1. Yoo, H.L., & Franke, W. D. (2009). Prevalence of cardiovascular disease risk factors in volunteer firefighters. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 51(8), 958–962. 10.1097/JOM.0b013e3181af3a58

Source: PubMed

Sponsorer og samarbeidspartnere

Medisinsk tilstand

Legemiddelintervensjoner

3
Abonnere