Funded Projects

Providing 24-hour emergency medical services (EMS) requires that paramedics and other first responders work in shifts. Shift work has been linked to adverse health conditions such as obesity, metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular disease. Recent research shows that greater than 70% of EMS shift workers are overweight or obese, which exceeds rates observed in the general population. Dr Hostler recently completed a pilot study of 39 EMS clinicians following four different shift schedules. Using an innovative mobile food log platform, we have shown that night shift workers consume more calories than day shift workers and a larger proportion of those calories are from fat. We have also documented significantly disordered sleep in all groups, less restraint in eating in the night shift, and a number of correlations between perceived stress and nutrition habits. This group will work together to recruit a larger cohort of EMS clinicians to confirm these findings and explore the physiologic ramifications associated with these behaviors. All three investigators are former public safety workers and bring unique expertise to this project. The data collected in this study will be used to support a grant application to NIOSH for an intervention study to reduce stress and improve eating behaviors in EMS clinicians who work shift schedules.