Rutgers Student Gets NIH Fellowship to Access Firefighter Fitness

Rutgers School of Public Health doctoral student, Nimit Shah, has received a Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (F31HL160196) to study the predictors and barriers of physical fitness among volunteer firefighters.

Firefighters regularly face severe health risks, like injury, fatigue, heat stress, and cardiovascular strain. Major unfavorable health implications, including cardiovascular, respiratory, and cancer outcomes are also common amongst this population; however preventative measures, such as physical fitness training and health behaviors, are not well understood. This is particularly true among volunteer firefighters.

“Volunteer firefighters are an understudied population, who make up two-thirds of the fire service in the United States,” says Shah. “Traditionally, volunteer firefighters are observed to have lower physical fitness levels, despite performing the same duties as their paid counterparts. Volunteer firefighters have less opportunities for occupational health programs and must also balance their primary employment and family responsibilities.”

“Seeking to understand individual- and fire department- level influences on physical fitness among volunteer firefighters will generate valuable new information to guide physical fitness strategies and the types of health programs departments should offer,” adds Shah. “This ultimately supports positive firefighter health outcomes and also positively impacts the communities they serve.”

Judith Graber, associate professor in the Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, and Cristine Delnevo, professor in the Department of Health Behavior, Society and Policy and director of the Center for Tobacco Studies, serve as Shah’s mentors.