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OBJECTIVES
The main aims of this research study are:
- a) to develop a firefighter-relevant work and health questionnaire using qualitative and quantitative research methods to survey firefighters enrolled in a Wellness and Fitness (WEFIT) Program at the UC Irvine Center for Occupational and Environmental Health,
- b) to use this questionnaire in an epidemiological study to explore whether adverse working conditions and health behaviors are risk factors for obesity in firefighters, and
- c) to explore the interrelations between working conditions and health behaviors as they relate to obesity in firefighters.
A supplementary objective is to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of Body Mass Index (BMI) as a measurement (commonly used as a surveillance measure of obesity in many WEFIT programs for firefighters) in comparison with skinfold-based body fat percent.