[Factors related to sleep quality in Emergency Medical Technicians and their sleep habits during COVID-19 pandemic.]

OBJECTIVE: Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) show a high prevalence of sleep problems. Adding to these problems, another factor appeared two years ago: the COVID-19 pandemic. The objectives of this study were to describe the sleep quality and habits in a sample of EMTs in Spain during COVID-19 pandemic considering the factors related to them. METHODS: A national cross-sectional study was carried out in Spain between October 2020 and February 2021. EMTs who worked in basic and advanced life support ambulances were invited to participate in an online survey. Several sociodemographic variables were analyzed, as well as sleep quality, stress symptoms, pain, food consumption and physical activity. Logistic regression models were used to examine the associations between these variables and sleep quality. RESULTS: 340 EMTs participated in the study. Of them, 59.4% had poor sleep quality and the habits of 32.2% got worse during the pandemic. The EMTs with a poor sleep quality presented in higher proportion stress symptoms (OR: 4.19;95% CI: 2.16-8.11;p<0.001), pain (OR: 3.19;95% CI: 1.7-6.01;p<0.001) and a weekly consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages greater than two glasses (OR: 3.6;95% CI: 1.86-6.98;p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: EMTs show a high prevalence of poor sleep quality, which got worse during the pandemic. The factors related to them are stress, pain and consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages. This study provides important information so that the emergency services can develop health promotion programs focused on these professionals.

Analysis of Emergency Medical Technicians' diet and adherence to the Mediterranean diet, and their evolution during the COVID-19 pandemic in relation to sociodemographic and health factors

Introduction: Emergency Medical Technicians show a high prevalence of overweight and obesity, which have been related to a low adherence to the Mediterranean diet and several health problems. Objetives: Describe the diet and the adherence to the Mediterranean diet in a sample of Emergency Medical Technicians in Spain and their evolution during the COVID-19 pandemic considering the sociodemographic and health fac-tors related to them. Material and Methods: The participants completed an online survey which collected: sociodemographic variables, food consumption, food choice, self-efficacy consumption of fruits and vegetables, changes in diet during the pandemic, sleep quality and stress symptoms. Adherence to the Mediterranean diet and the relationship between these variables were calculated. Results: 340 professionals participated. Less than 25% met the recommended intake of vegetables, fruits and cereals, and less than 35%, the intake of confectionery, red meat and nuts. Technicians with a low adherence to the Mediterranean diet chose less healthy dishes (p<0.001) and had lower self-efficacy (p<0.001). Besides, technicians whose diet quality got worse during the pandemic pre-sented poorer sleep quality (p=0.025) and more stress symptoms (p<0.001). Discussion: Emergency Medical Technicians show a low adherence to the Mediterranean diet, which was associated with a low self-efficacy and poor food choices. Conclusions: Interventions to improve Emergency Medical Technicians' diet quality should focus on improving their self-efficacy, food choice, sleep quality and stress levels.