Eating Habits of EMS Workers to be Studied

Photo courtesy National Highway Traffic Safety Administration A new study at the University of Buffalo will look into the eating habits of EMS workers.   As former emergency medical services (EMS) workers, Dave Hostler and Brian Clemency know how challenging it can be to maintain a healthy lifestyle while working long shifts at odd hours. That’s why the UB researchers proposed a study aimed at understanding the nutrition practices of EMS workers. Their proposal was one of three selected for $5,000 in pilot funding by the National Association of EMS Physicians and the Emergency Medicine Foundation, two national organizations that have provided grants for prehospital research. “With this funding, we will be attempting to describe how EMS work affects eating habits. There is likely an effect of shift work and working conditions that lead to poor eating habits and/or food choices,” explains Hostler, chair of the Department of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences in the School of Public Health and Health Professions. The study will recruit 20 nightshift and 20 dayshift EMS clinicians in Western New York. “As a former paramedic, I know well that the unique lifestyle of an EMS provider makes it extraordinarily difficult to eat healthy,” adds Hostler, who has worked closely with emergency personnel in research studies in the two labs he leads at UB: the Center for Research and Education in Special Environments (CRESE) and the Emergency Responder Human Performance Lab. ...
Source: JEMS: Journal of Emergency Medical Services News - Category: Emergency Medicine Tags: Operations News Source Type: news