Fitness Of The Force Tactical Wellness Collaboration

BACKGROUND: Police officers operate in high-demand environments requiring them to be physically and mentally able of handling physical tasks while wearing equipment weighing over 9 kg. Additionally, daily duties involve sedentary work, such as car patrols, paperwork, and interviews. High stress, long hours, and shift work challenges quality sleep. The physically and mentally challenging nature of the job results in difficulties for officer health. Police officers have an increased risk of injury and cardiovascular (CV) disease compared to the general population. Metabolic syndrome, hypertension, and an overall sedentary lifestyle both in and out of work is common. Finding ways to decrease preventable diseases in our public safety officials is imperative. METHODS: A 14 part assessment was completed on 80 local law enforcement officers working in a small sized city with limited resources, (male = 76, female = 4; ages 21-65 years) for comparison to general population norms as a first step in developing a customized wellness program. RESULTS: An analysis of variance (ANOVA) comparison was conducted to compare fitness scores between the age groups and compared to the population norms for age groups. Statistical significance was found within age groups for body fat percentage (27.6 ± 7.1, p = 0.00049), vertical jump power watts/kg (49.7 ± 11.1, p = 0.00038), and estimated VO2Max (ml/kg/min) (34.55 ± 6.4, p = 0.00064). CONCLUSIONS: Officer muscle strength was within/above population norms. The significant decrease of estimated VO2Max as officers age (20-29-years, 36.73 ± 7.98; 30-39-years, 33.88 ± 6.37; and 40 years and over, 29.87 ± 10.93), coupled with almost 90% of officers testing below norms indicated poor CV fitness. Poor CV fitness has been linked to increased mortality rates in both the general and law enforcement population. Together these results indicate specific morbidity concerns. Police officers should integrate a CV program and consider methods such as mindfulness training to reduce the hyper-alertness that is seen throughout the profession due job demands.