Feasibility of a Train-the-Trainer Delivered Exercise Intervention in Firefighters
Trial Snapshot
- Phase
- Not Applicable
- Status
- Completed
- Enrollment
- 55
- Locations
- 1
- Primary Endpoint
- Qualitative Summaries of Participant Experience in Semi-Structured Interviews (Acceptability)
Study Overview
Brief Summary
Purpose: To collect and report feasibility data for conducting a future cluster randomized trial to evaluate the efficacy of a TRAINER delivered integrated exercise program in career firefighters, and to determine intervention fidelity and preliminary effects of a TRAINER delivered integrated exercise program in career firefighters.
Participants: 52 career firefighters 18 - 60 years old (40 trainees, 6 trainers, 6 administrators).
Procedures (methods): Enrolled fire stations will be randomly assigned (3:2 allocation ratio) to a TRAINER or wait-list control (CON) group, stratified by city, using computer-generated random numbers. All enrolled firefighters will undergo a series of assessments at baseline (week 0) and post-testing (week 7) following the TRAINER delivered 6-week intervention.
Study Design
- Study Type
- Interventional
- Allocation
- Randomized
- Intervention Model
- Parallel
- Primary Purpose
- Treatment
- Masking
- None
Eligibility Criteria
- Ages
- 18 Years to 60 Years (Adult)
- Sex
- All
- Accepts Healthy Volunteers
- Yes
Inclusion Criteria
- •Provide informed consent prior to any study procedures are performed
- •Medically cleared for fire suppression duties
- •A career firefighter from a local department (Carrboro, Chapel Hill, and Durham)
Exclusion Criteria
- •Highly active firefighters, defined as performing 4 or more days/week of vigorous exercise
- •Pregnancy
- •Recent injury preventing their participation in the exercise routine
- •Involved in an active workers' compensation or personal injury case
Arms & Interventions
TRAINER
The TRAINER group will receive an integrated exercise program, led by a peer-trainer, including a neuromuscular warm-up and high intensity interval training at their respective fire stations 2 times per week for 6 weeks.
Intervention: Integrated Exercise Program (Behavioral)
Waitlist Control
The waitlist control group will not receive training during the course of the study, but will be offered the opportunity to receive the integrated exercise program after the study ends.
Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Qualitative Summaries of Participant Experience in Semi-Structured Interviews (Acceptability)
Time Frame: Week 7 (post-intervention)
Acceptability will be assessed by semi-structured interviews with the firefighters, peer-trainers, and departmental administration (e.g. fire chiefs). Qualitative summaries for intrapersonal, interpersonal, and organizational constructs will be reported.
Percentage of Sessions Attended (Feasibility)
Time Frame: Week 7 (post-intervention)
To demonstrate the feasibility of an integrated exercise program. Adherence will be determined from the percentage of sessions attended out of total (12) sessions. Adherence of 80% or higher will be considered good feasibility.
Number of Firefighters and Fire Stations Recruited to the Study (Feasibility)
Time Frame: Within 14 months
To demonstrate the feasibility of an integrated exercise program. Feasibility will be defined as recruitment of 40 firefighters and the number of fire stations (out of 26 potential) to the study within 14 months.
Percentage of Firefighters Retained (Feasibility)
Time Frame: Week 7 (post-intervention)
To demonstrate the feasibility of an integrated exercise program. Retention will be determined from the percentage of firefighters retained at post-testing. Retention of 80% or higher will be considered good feasibility.
Secondary Outcomes
- Change in low-back muscular endurance as measured by a modified Biering-Sorensen test(Baseline (i.e., pre-intervention), 7 weeks (i.e., post-intervention))
- Change in body composition as measured by % body fat from a 4-compartment model(Baseline (i.e., pre-intervention), 7 weeks (i.e., post-intervention))
- Fidelity of the neuromuscular warm-up as measured by a rubric across sessions at Week 6(6 weeks (i.e., one of last 2 sessions))
- Change in cardiorespiratory fitness as measured by VO2 peak during cycle ergometry(Baseline (i.e., pre-intervention), 7 weeks (i.e., post-intervention))
- Change in balance as measured by a modified star excursion balance test(Baseline (i.e., pre-intervention), 7 weeks (i.e., post-intervention))
- Change in explosive muscle strength as measured by dynamometry(Baseline (i.e., pre-intervention), 7 weeks (i.e., post-intervention))
- Fidelity of the HIIT protocol as measured by rate of peak power output across sessions at Week 6(6 weeks (i.e., one of last 2 sessions))
- Change in physical activity as measured by the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form(Baseline (i.e., pre-intervention), 7 weeks (i.e., post-intervention))
- Change in nutrition as measured by the Rapid Eating Assessment for Participants-Short Form(Baseline (i.e., pre-intervention), 7 weeks (i.e., post-intervention))
- Fidelity of the neuromuscular warm-up as measured by a rubric across sessions at Week 2(2 weeks (i.e., beginning of intervention following train-the-trainer completion))
- Fidelity of the HIIT protocol as measured by rate of peak power output across sessions at Week 2(2 weeks (i.e., beginning of intervention following train-the-trainer completion))