Association of Sex-Related Differences in Body Composition to Change of Direction Speed in Police Officers While Carrying Load

Abstract

Regardless of sex or body size, police tasks may require officers to change direction speed (CODS) under occupational loads. The purpose of this study was to investigate body composition and CODS in female and male police cadets in both unloaded and occupationally loaded conditions. Body composition and CODS of 51 female (FPC) and 70 male police cadets (MPC) were assessed. Six body composition indices were used: Body mass index (BMI), percent body fat (PBF), percent of skeletal muscle mass (PSMM), protein fat index (PFI), index of hypokinesia (IH), and skeletal muscle mass index (SMMI). The CODS was assessed by Illinois Agility Test (IAT) and IAT while carrying a 10-kg load (LIAT). An independent sample t-test was used to identify the differences between the sexes. The regression determined associations between body composition and LIAT. The alpha level was set at p < 0.05 a priori. MPC had significantly higher (p < 0.001) BMI, PSMM, PFI and SMMI and lower PBF and IH than FPC. MPC were also faster in IAT and LIAT, carrying lower relative loads that imparted less of an impact on CODS performance. Body composition was strongly associated with the time to complete LIAT (R2 = 0.671, p < 0.001). Difference in relative load and body composition influenced CODS performance in both unloaded and loaded conditions. Thus, optimizing body composition through increasing skeletal muscle mass and reducing fat mass could positively influence unloaded and loaded CODS performance and improve elements of police task performance.

Accuracy and Predictive Capability of Body Mass Index in Evaluation of Obesity and Body Fatness Level in Police Officers

“…According to BMI ≥ 30 kg/m 2 , 22% of officers were classified as obese, while according to PBF > 25%, 49% were obese. This was about 3% higher difference than the results obtained for the 30-39 years group and about 8% higher than that of the Kukić, F. et al (2020). Accuracy and predictive capability of body mass index in evaluation of obesity and body fatness level in police officers combined sample of the current study.…”

“…Obesity represents one of the leading public health problems in the world (WHO, 2017), which has been associated with coronary heart disease, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, lower quality of life and sleeping problems (Violanti et al, 2006;Charles et al, 2008;Alghamdi et al, 2017). Moreover, increased body fatness has been negatively associated with physical performance (Dawes et al, 2016), and is a significant predictor of health-related and occupational performance-related physical fitness outcomes (Kukic et al, 2018;Kukić et al, 2020). Considering this, police agencies have been working on development of assessments, treatments and prevention policies to address the negative changes in obesity related to work that is more sedentary and life habits of police officers.…”

Indicators of Absolute and Relative Changes in Skeletal Muscle Mass during Adulthood and Ageing

“…Therefore, it seems that males are more prone to changes in ratio of fat and muscle tissue, mostly on account of body fat increase, while females, although more prone to loss of SMM, are affected by both. These variations are often reflected in physical performance when fat mass (ballast mass) increases over the criterion level, thus lowering PP and PSMM, when it becomes heavy enough to hinder the outcomes of muscle contractions, resulting in lower performance [ 3 , 20 ]. Given that the metabolism slows down by age, and an increase in body fatness is likely to occur, a good PP in adulthood, and its maintenance throughout aging could have a preventive effect on health and performance (hence quality of life), which could be obtained by regular physical activity and good eating habits.…”

Factorial analysis of stress factors among the sample of Lebanese police officers

“…Considering the diversity of police jobs, the permanent follow-up of physical fitness and general health may be a good component of the strategy to keep the officers healthy (Anderson et al, 2001;Cvorovic and Maamari, 2017;Vukovi c et al, 2020). Many studies have shown that effectiveness in police jobs requires general and specific physical abilities and skills (Kukic et al, 2018;Kuki c et al, 2020;Dawes et al, 2017;Orr et al, 2017). In this regard, long sitting hours together with increased stress level have been reported to increase the risk of metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease (CVD) (Garbarino and Magnavita, 2015;Violanti et al, 2006Violanti et al, , 2009.…”