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Updated: May 28, 2026

A Novel Digital Platform for a Monitored Home-based Cardiac Rehabilitation Program
Published on: April 19, 2019
Firefighter fitness, coronary heart disease, and sudden cardiac death risk
John A Staley1, Bryan Weiner, Laura Linnan
1Department of Health Policy and Management, College of Public Health, Kent State University, OH, USA. jstaley1@kent.edu
Objective:
To determine the roles physical fitness, coronary heart disease, and sudden cardiac death risk play in firefighter culture, via an emic (insider's) perspective within the culture of the fire service.
Methods:
Key informant interviews and focus group discussions with full-time, acculturated firefighters, framed within a social ecological framework.
Results:
Physical fitness is a complex, cultural construct, based on functional capacity and management normative expectations. Coronary heart disease is not a culturally relevant reason for workplace fitness program adherence.
Conclusions:
Fitness interventions must culturally adapt to the unique nature of the fire service, emphasizing functional capacity, crew dependability, and fitness/well-being strategies.
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