Feasibility of a Train-the-Trainer Delivered Exercise Intervention in Firefighters

University of North Carolina (UNC)

Status: Completed

Conditions: High Intensity Interval Training; Firefighter

Treatments: Behavioral: Integrated Exercise Program

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other; Other U.S. Federal agency

Identifiers

NCT05287594

21-2522

Details and patient eligibility

About

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.

Enrollment: 55 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 60 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

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

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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55 participants in 2 patient groups

TRAINER

Experimental group

Description:

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.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Integrated Exercise Program

Waitlist Control

No Intervention group

Description:

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.