(P02-044-25) Prevalence of Food Insecurity and Poor Mental Health Among Firefighters

Objectives: Firefighting is a high-risk occupation associated with frequent exposure to trauma, often compounded by historically low pay. As a result, many firefighters experience poor mental health and rely on maladaptive coping strategies. Additionally, food insecurity has been shown to be linked to mental health challenges, which may further exacerbate the well-being of this population. The study assessed the prevalence of food insecurity and mental health issues among active U.S. firefighters and explored the association between these two outcomes.

Methods: Active U.S. firefighters were recruited using social media and professional contacts in the fire service. A cross-sectional survey (June 2024) used validated measures of food insecurity, anxiety and depressive symptoms, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), psychological coping style, diet quality, and alcohol use. Sociodemographic and firefighter-specific characteristics were also assessed. The analysis included descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and Spearman’s correlations.

Results: Participants (n=88) were on average 39 years old and had a median household income of $147,228.13±$71,129.90. Over one-fifth of respondents experienced food insecurity (22.7%). Many reported symptoms of anxiety (27.3%), depression (19.3%), PTSD (43.2%), and hazardous drinking (59.1%). Participants commonly used problem-focused (mean±SD=2.5±0.8 out of 4, higher score indicates greater use of this coping strategy) and emotion-focused coping strategies (2.1±0.5). Diet quality showed moderate correlations with income-to-poverty ratio (r_s=0.41), food insecurity (r_s =-0.35), and anxiety (r_s =-0.27). Food insecurity was associated with both anxiety (r_s =0.27) and depression (r_s =0.20). No significant correlations were found between food security and PTDS or hazardous drinking. There were no differences in key outcomes by demographic factors.

Conclusions: The prevalence of food insecurity among firefighters was higher than the national average and correlated with poor mental health. Results suggest a need for integrated mental health and food access support into existing nutrition interventions in this population to improve overall well-being.

Funding Sources: Oklahoma State University College of Education and Human Sciences