Health Behaviors of Funeral Directors in the US: A Needs Assessment

Objectives: Little is known about the health-risk behaviors of funeral directors. We undertook a study to examine their health behavior risks by assessing perceived health behaviors. Methods: The study was a cross-sectional, descriptive study of a sample of funeral directors in the US as of September 2018. We used online survey software to disseminate a multi-wave survey to funeral directors. Results: Overall, we received 132 completed surveys (16.5% response rate). Overall, funeral directors rated themselves as healthy, but 61% reported that their mental health was not good in the previous 30 days due to stress, depression, or problems with emotions. We found that 23% reported that their poor physical or mental health keep them from doing their daily activities such as self-care, work, or recreation in the last 30 days. Other behaviors such as screenings, weight management, stress management, and substance use were found to be concerns in this population. Conclusions: Public health efforts should focus on health promotion programming with an emphasis on improving the overall health and well-being of funeral directors in the US.