Physical activity, quality of life, and physical fitness of police officers: An exploratory study

BackgroundA high level of physical activity (PAL) is necessary for the safety performance of police officers.ObjectiveTo evaluate the PAL, quality of life (QoL), and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) of Civil Police Officers (PO) of Brazil, in association with gender and career time.MethodsWe evaluated 55 PO (50.9% male), with a median age of 40 and a BMI of 25.7 kg/m². Descriptive analysis and associations with gender and career time (G1: longer/G2: shorter) were carried out. PAL was evaluated by the IPAQ-short version. QoL and CRF were estimated using the WHOQOL and Jackson questionnaires. The chi-square test was used for associations; the odds ratio was calculated with a 95% confidence interval (95%CI) to express the strength of the association.ResultsThere was a proportion of 72.7% (95% CI:69.0-91.0%) of active PO, with a trend for a higher proportion among women and G2 (<i>p </i>= 0.07/0.08), respectively. Only 36.4% of PO (95% CI:24.0-49.0) achieved the minimum CRF required for career entry, with G1 showing a lower proportion than G2 (<i>p </i>< 0.01) and a lower chance of achieving the recommended CRF (OR: 0.03 / 95% CI:0.01-0.17). The median QoL was >70 points in three of the four evaluated domains, with G2 showing higher scores than G1 in the physical domain (<i>p </i>= 0.02).ConclusionMore than two-thirds of the PO assessed achieved the PA recommendations for health, but the majority had a CRF below the recommended. The median QoL was good in 3 of the four WHOQOL domains. Women and those with less carrier time had higher QoL, PAL, and CRF.