Disordered Eating & Body Image in Emergency Medical Services Staff

Abstract

Past research has shown that EMS professionals are affected by many mental health issues such as PTSD, depression, anxiety, substance abuse, sleep disturbances, burnout, and even suicidal ideation. The research discussed herein assesses the levels of disordered eating and body image in EMTs/paramedics as compared to emergency department nurses using a disordered eating scale, an eating disorder scale, and a body image scale. Results showed that EMS workers had significantly lower body image satisfaction scores compared to ED nurses, and that those participants in 911/On Campus services showed lower body image scores than those in Interfacility Transport/Emergency Departments. Results trended towards showing that those with fewer lunches out of the past ten shifts had higher disordered eating. Additionally, fewer than half of participants felt that they could take regularly scheduled breaks for eating and 84.2% of participants answered “yes” or “sometimes” to the common phenomenon of “eating when and where you can” while on a shift. These results exhibit concerning issues of decreased body image across EMS professionals and deep-rooted problems with nourishment while on shift. These issues must be addressed as it is a matter of public safety to attend to the mental health of first responders so that they can attend to the critical requirements of their job.