(P07-23-26) Diet Quality and Mental Health Outcomes Among Firefighters on Alternative Shift Schedules

Objectives: Firefighters experience high levels of occupational stress and irregular eating patterns, contributing to elevated risks for poor diet quality and mental health concerns. Many U.S. fire departments traditionally operate on 24-hour shifts; however, the 48 hours on/96 hours off (48/96) schedule is increasingly adopted due to perceived benefits for work–life balance. Evidence examining how shift structures relate to firefighter mental health and nutrition-related factors remains limited. This study examined whether firefighters working a 48/96 shift schedule differed in diet quality and food security compared with firefighters working other shift structures, and whether shift schedule was associated with mental health outcomes after accounting for these factors.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey (June 2024) was distributed through professional networks to U.S. firefighters. Diet quality (score< 61 is unhealthy), household food security (range:0-6, >2 is food insecure), symptoms of anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and hazardous drinking were all assessed with previously validated measures. Analysis included Wilcoxon tests and linear regression to examine associations between shift schedule and mental health outcomes, adjusting for covariates.

Results: Participants (n=88) were primarily male (85.2%), White (89.9%), and worked 48/96 shifts (54.5%). Mean food security scores were 0.5±1.1 among 48/96 firefighters compared with 1.2±1.8 among those working other schedules (p=0.02). Mean diet quality scores were 61.0±10.2 among 48/96 firefighters and 56.3±10.2 among those working other schedules (p=0.07). After controlling for diet quality, food insecurity, and income, no significant associations were observed between shift schedules for any mental health outcomes.

Conclusions: Shift schedule was not associated with mental health outcomes in this study, but was associated with marginally lower food insecurity. These findings suggest that the 48/96 shift structure may be a viable alternative to traditional schedules with potential benefits for diet quality and food security status. However, additional research is needed to examine firefighters’ perceived acceptability of this shift structure and to explore potential long-term effects on health and well-being.

Funding Sources: No funding