Firefighters Preventing Cancer Online Training Program

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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The goal of this two-arm, Cluster Randomized Trial is to evaluate an e-health training program for volunteer firefighters to reduce their risk of exposures to carcinogens and to increase their understanding and intentions of behavior towards cancer prevention. One arm will receive an online e-health intervention for six months and the other arm will be considered as a waitlist control group which will be placed on a waitlist and receive the online treatment program some months later. The project aims to evaluate the firefighters by measurement of current behavior, perceived importance, future behavioral intentions and perceived barriers for implementing decontamination behaviors at baseline, after the intervention and after 3-month follow-up before and after the intervention. The intervention consists of three components: a novel health information strategy, 90SecondFire Cancer health letters a brief on-line course a problem-solving asynchronous bulletin board to mobilize existing knowledge

Detailed Description
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Firefighters face a serious risk of exposure to carcinogens from products of combustion. Modern materials burn hotter and may be even more toxic than older wood construction. Preventing the increased risk of cancer in volunteer firefighters has raised attention as they are more vulnerable to carcinogen exposure. The goal of this two-arm, Cluster Randomized Trial is to evaluate an e-health training program for volunteer firefighters to reduce their risk of exposures to carcinogens and to increase their understanding and intentions of behavior towards cancer prevention. One arm will receive an online e-health intervention for six months and the other arm will be considered as a waitlist control group which will be placed on a waitlist and receive the online treatment program some months later. Up to 800 volunteer firefighters from approximately 40 volunteer fire departments in Canada will be recruited for both arms. The project aims to evaluate the firefighters by measurement of current behavior, perceived importance, future behavioral intentions and perceived barriers for implementing decontamination behaviors at baseline, after the intervention and after 3-month follow-up through an online validated survey: Firefighter Exposure to Carcinogens Scale (FECS). The intervention consists of three components: a novel health information strategy, 90SecondFire Cancer health letters a brief on-line course a problem-solving asynchronous bulletin board to mobilize existing knowledge

Official Title
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Firefighters Preventing Cancer: Cluster Randomized Trial of an Online Training Program for Cancer Prevention Behaviors in Volunteer Firefighters

Conditions
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Cancer Prevention

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: e-health training program


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Departments will be screened to meet the following criteria Be a Volunteer Department Be located in Canada Consent to participate in the study via the Chief or delegate Participant in the CRT study must meet all the following criteria to be eligible to proceed with the study: Be a volunteer firefighter Working for an all-volunteer fire department that has joined the study Live in Canada Has access to internet Be able to read, write and understand English or French Consent to participate in the study Exclusion Criteria: The exclusion for Departments Not a volunteer Department in other words to be a composite department with some volunteers and some career fire fighters or a department that has not joined the study Not located in Canada Not Consent to be in the study via the Chief or delegate Any of the following criteria will exclude individuals from proceeding to consent: NOT a volunteer firefighter Working for a composite department with some volunteers and some career fire fighters or a department that has not joined the study Does NOT live in Canada Does not have access to internet Is NOT able to read, write and understand English or French Does NOT consent to participate in the study
Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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No

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Prevention
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Interventional Model Description: This study is a two-arm, feasibility, Cluster Randomized Trial (CRT).
Masking: Double


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Intervention Group<br>This arm will receive the online e-health intervention for six months. The intervention consists of three sections: a novel health information strategy, 90SecondFire Cancer health letters a brief on-line course a problem-solving asynchronous bulletin board to mobilize existing knowledge | Behavioral: e-health training program<br>* Health letters, 44 issues of 90SecondFire Cancer health letters delivered twice a week during six months to firefighters by text or email A problem-solving asynchronous chat room which encourages mutual support and exchange of ideas via a closed asynchronous bulletin board for peer-to-peer support A brief 45-minute pre-recorded online course; it is intended as a summative exercise rather than providing new information.<br>|
| No Intervention: waitlist control group<br>This group will be placed on a waitlist and will receive the online treatment program after six months. | |

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Volunteer Firefighters' Intention to engage in reducing exposure and undertaking decontamination behaviour | In order to measure the changes in firefighter's intention during the study, the data will be collected by an online survey: Firefighter Exposure to Carcinogens Scale (FECS). The dimensions will be rated on a 0 to 4 Likert scale. | Baseline, After 6 month intervention and 3-month follow-up | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Volunteer Firefighters' practice and perceived importance towards reducing exposure and undertaking decontamination behavior for cancer prevention | The data will be collected by an online survey: Firefighter Exposure to Carcinogens Scale (FECS). The dimensions will be rated on a 0 to 4 Likert scale. | Baseline, After 6 month intervention and 3-month follow-up | 
| Volunteer firefighters' and their departments' perceived barriers in the development of reducing exposure and undertaking decontamination behaviors | The data will be collected by an online survey: Firefighter Exposure to Carcinogens Scale (FECS). The dimensions will be rated on a 0 to 4 Likert scale. | Baseline, After 6 month intervention and 3-month follow-up | 
| Comparing and detecting any association between the regular volunteer firefighters and the management team towards cancer prevention | The data will be collected by an online survey: Firefighter Exposure to Carcinogens Scale (FECS). The dimensions will be rated on a 0 to 4 Likert scale. | Baseline, After 6 month intervention and 3-month follow-up | 
| Comparing characteristics of different volunteer Departments (Clusters) such as size and location of Department in terms of their future intention, current practice and perceived importance towards cancer prevention | The data will be collected by an online survey: Firefighter Exposure to Carcinogens Scale (FECS). The dimensions will be rated on a 0 to 4 Likert scale. | Baseline, After 6 month intervention and 3-month follow-up | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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Firefighter, Cancer, Decontamination, Exposure