Feeding America’s Bravest: Mediterranean Diet-based Interventions to Change Firefighters’  Eating Habits and Improve Cardiovascular Risk Profiles

Funding Source: Sub-contract, FEMA #EMW-2014-FP-00612

PI: Stefanos Kales, MD (Harvard University); Co-I: Steven M. Moffatt, MD

Project Purpose:

The ultimate purpose of the study was to lower firefighters’ risks for CVD and cancer by successfully getting more firefighters and their families to adopt and incorporate the healthy eating principles behind the Mediterranean diet.

Project Description:

The Mediterranean Diet Nutritional Intervention (MDNI) overall development strategy was to promote greater understanding, acceptance and adherence to Mediterranean diet principles through multi-pronged MDNIs combining evidence-based behavior change strategies.

The MDNI incorporated diet and lifestyle education; electronic education platforms and electronic reminders; free samples of heart-healthy foods in the firehouse; grocery coupons; and group incentives.

Related Publications:

	Christodoulou A, Christophi C, Sotos-Prieto M, Moffatt S, Longgang Z, Kales SN, Hébert JR. The Dietary Inflammatory Index and in US firefighters and the association with cardiometabolic parameters in US firefighters. Frontiers in Nutrition. 2024;11:1382306
	Hershey MS, Chang C, Sotos-Prieto M, Fernandez-Montero A, Cash SB, Christophi CA, Folta SC, Muegge C, Kleinschmidt V, Moffatt S, Mozaffarian D, Kales SN. Effect of a Nutrition Intervention on Mediterranean Diet Adherence Among Firefighters: A Cluster Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Netw Open. 2023;6(8):e2329147. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.29147
	Christodoulou A, Christophi CA, Sotos-Prieto M, Moffatt S, Kales SN. Eating Habits among US Firefighters and Association with Cardiometabolic Outcomes. Nutrients. 2022 Jul;14(13):2762.
	Romero Cabrera JL, Sotos-Prieto M, García Ríos A, Moffatt S, Christophi CA, Pérez-Martínez P, Kales SN. Sleep and Association with Cardiovascular Risk among Midwestern US Firefighters. Frontiers in Endocrinology. 2021;12:772848. doi: 10.3389/fendo.2021.772848
	Hershey MS, Sotos-Prieto M, Ruiz-Canela M, Christophi CA, Moffatt S, Martínez-González MÁ, Kales SN. The Mediterranean lifestyle (MEDLIFE) index and metabolic syndrome in a non-Mediterranean working population. Clinical Nutrition. 2021 May 1;40(5):2494-503.
	Romanidou M, Tripsianis G, Hershey MS, Sotos-Prieto M, Christophi C, Moffatt S, Constantinidis TC, Kales SN. Association of the Modified Mediterranean Diet Score (mMDS) with Anthropometric and Biochemical Indices in US Career Firefighters. Nutrients. 2020; 12(12), 3693.
	Sotos-Prieto M, Ruiz-Canela M, Song Y, Christophi C, Moffatt S, Rodriguez-Artalejo F, Kales SN. The Effects of a Mediterranean Diet Intervention on Targeted Plasma Metabolic Biomarkers among US Firefighters: A Pilot Cluster-Randomized Trial. Nutrients. 2020 Dec;12(12):3610.
	Hershey MS, Sotos-Prieto M, Ruiz-Canela M, Martínez-González MA, Cassidy A, Moffatt S, Kales SN. Anthocyanin Intake and Physical Activity: Associations with the Lipid Profile of a US Working Population. Molecules. 2020; 25(19), 4398. doi:10.3390/molecules25194398
	Sotos-Prieto M, Christophi C, Black A, Furtado JD, Song Y, Magiatis P, Papakonstantinou A, Melliou E, Moffatt S, Kales SN. Assessing Validity of Self-Reported Dietary Intake within a Mediterranean Diet Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial among US Firefighters. Nutrients. 2019 Sep;11(9):2250.
	Muegge CM, Kleinschmidt VM, Johnson KA, Sotos-Prieto M, Moffatt SM, Beverly EA, Korre M, Kales SN. Focus groups to inform a nutrition intervention for career firefighters. Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism. 2018; 1(2):1-5. doi:10.15761/CNM.1000108
	Sotos-Prieto M, Cash SB, Christophi CA, Folta S, Moffatt S, Muegge C, Korre M, Mozaffarian D, Kales SN. Rationale and design of feeding America’s bravest: Mediterranean diet-based intervention to change firefighters’ eating habits and improve cardiovascular risk profiles. Contemporary Clinical Trials. 2017; 61:101-107. Doi: 10.1016/j.cct.2017.07.010

Cover photo by Ella Olsson on Unsplash