Dietary and Caffeine Intakes of Firefighters Located in the Southeast

Abstract

Firefighters are prone to coronary heart disease, cancer, obesity, and high blood pressure possibly due to the working conditions they face including irregular sleeping/eating habits, high- stress levels, and exposure to carcinogens. This study focused on the nutritional aspect and observed nutritional habits including caffeine consumption in local firefighters. I hypothesize firefighters will have a high caloric intake (Over 3,000 kcal/day) and caffeine consumption (Over 400 mg/day) due to the aforementioned health factors. A total of 15 local firefighters participated in this study. Dietary logs of the firefighters were collected for five days over a seven-day period to get a baseline of the participants’ regular eating habits. The data analysis will be completed using MyFitnessPal and will consist of protein, carbohydrates, fats, fiber, sugar, cholesterol, sodium, and caloric intake. In addition, they are asked to log their daily caffeine consumption.