| Research from the CDC suggests that as of 2007 25.6% of the respondents to the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey are insufficiently active (Galuska et al., 2008). This trend is repeated in firefighters and is of particular interest due to a high rate of deaths due to cardiovascular events in this profession. Inactivity is one of the major risk factors for the development of a number of chronic diseases including obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, stroke, and cardiovascular disease (Galuska et al., 2008). Because inactivity is a modifiable behavior, it is of utility to develop and implement interventions to increase exercise. The purpose of this study was to develop, implement, and evaluate the impact on exercise participation of the 5-ALARM Fitness Program (Five Associated Lifestyle Attributes Regulating Motivation) in a sample of firefighters in suburbs of a large Midwestern Ohio city. A six-week intervention utilizing the theoretical tenets of Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) was implemented in the firehouse during duty days. Exercise participation was measured by self report before the intervention, at the completion of the intervention, and two weeks following the intervention to determine if exercise increased in either the exercise prescription comparison group or the 5-ALARM Fitness group when compared to the usual care control group. Additionally, SCT constructs were measured (self-efficacy, self-regulation, and social support) to determine whether the intervention would increase the constructs. For minutes of moderate and vigorous exercise there was a significant increase in participation both at the six-week post-test and at the one month follow-up testing. There was no significant change in self-efficacy, and there was an increase, although insignificant, in self-regulation and social support. Overall there is support that the intervention has an effect on increasing exercise participation, although there is not evidence that the intervention resulted in increases in the social cognitive theory constructs. |
