Health of EMS workers

[eprex]

I've noticed that the general diet/lifestyle of EMS workers is atrocious. I think about 2/3 of the workers at my station smoke cigarettes and when I observed in NYC, every paramedic I met smoked as well.

On top of that their diets are strictly take-out and usually calorically-dense items. Now this type of diet isn't reserved strictly for EMS workers considering most Americans are probably too lazy to make their own food and bring it to work.

But what gives? What's the psychology behind this? I've asked the smokers and they basically stated that it "relieved stress" but I would guess that the reason smoking is so prevalent is because in general it's miasmic- more smokers around you leads to a greater likelihood you'll become one yourself.

Is it also because they see poor health so frequently that they view it as inevitable?

 

[Chimpie]

...
But what gives? What's the psychology behind this? I've asked the smokers and they basically stated that it "relieved stress" but I would guess that the reason smoking is so prevalent is because in general it's miasmic- more smokers around you leads to a greater likelihood you'll become one yourself.
...

When I smoked, it was out of boredom. Slow days, nothing to do, a few others would go outside to smoke, I'd join them. It wasn't peer pressure. It was just something I did.

 

[eprex]

It's not always peer pressure so much as it's available. I'm wondering how many people pick up smoking when absolutely no one around them has a cigarette to bum in the early stages.