Table 2.

Themes and subthemes identified in the interviews.

Themes	Subthemes
Food Environment and Food Culture	Cafeteria Fast food Number of Meals eaten at the academy per week Vending machines Beverages Available Differences between the academy food environment and that of the firehouse Food culture Recruits’ eating habits Faculty/Staff eating habits
Nutrition Education	Current nutrition education Education modalities Online resources
Attitudes and Perceptions toward Making Changes	Attitudes towards healthy eating Attitudes of recruits towards improving diet Importance of nutrition (to faculty and to recruits) Online resources Importance of physical activity Feelings about implementing a new programme Feelings about the use of Mediterranean diet Willingness to try new foods Stigma around being obese and conversely about healthy eating
Barriers	Barriers to improve nutrition in the academy Challenges in maintaining nutrition when going into a firehouse as a “rookie” firefighter  (The Firehouse food culture influences rookies)
Incentives and Motivating Factors to Overcome Barriers and to Improve Nutrition	Competition or group challenges as incentives Motivating factors for food choices Ways to make it easier to maintain Mediterranean diet