Barriers and solutions to improving nutrition among fire academy recruits: a qualitative assessment

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 c...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of food sciences and nutrition 2019-08, Vol.70 (6), p.771-779
Main Authors: Sotos-Prieto, Mercedes, Jin, Qi, Rainey, David, Coyle, Maria, Kales, Stefanos N.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Cardiovascular diseases
Diet
Diet, Mediterranean
Feeding Behavior
Female
fire academy
Fire services
Firefighters
Firefighters - psychology
Focus Groups
Food
Food science
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
Humans
Incentives
Interviews as Topic
Life Style
lifestyle intervention programme
Male
Mediterranean diet
Middle Aged
Nutrition
Nutritional Status
Occupational Diseases
Occupational Health
Qualitative Research
qualitative study
United States
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Summary: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.
ISSN:0963-7486
1465-3478
DOI:10.1080/09637486.2019.1570087