Dawes, Jay

Lockie, Robert G.

Orr, Rob Marc

Schram, Ben

Woodland, Jennifer

Zulfiqar, Mohammad M

English

PURPOSE: The ability to perform physically demanding tasks is an expected requirement for law enforcement officers due to the unpredictable events that can occur in the policing profession. For this reason, it is suggested, and in some instances is a requirement, for law enforcement officers to undergo fitness testing to ensure they are prepared for the physical nature of their occupation. The aim of this review was to critically appraise research studies employing various fitness testing that law enforcement recruits complete, with an aim to inform on the use of fitness testing in an occupational setting. METHODS: A comprehensive search of literature was conducted by two authors (MZ &amp; JW) independently using four databases (PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, SPORTDiscus) known to generate search results related to this topic of research. After duplicate articles were removed, articles that did not meet the pre-determined inclusion criteria and met the exclusion criteria were also removed. The remaining studies were critically appraised using a Downs and Black Checklist independently by two authors (MZ &amp; JW). Cohen’s Kappa coefficient was used to measure the level of agreement between appraisers and calculated by a third author (RO). The grading system proposed by Kennelly was used to grade the methodological quality of the studies with the relevant information from the studies extracted.RESULTS: From an initial 7384 identified studies, 11 studies met the criteria for review. The mean critical appraisal score for the articles was 74.36% (σ=1.48) being considered ‘good’ quality. There was a ‘substantial’ level of agreement between the two authors with a Cohen’s kappa of k=0.75. The most common measures of fitness assessed amongst the 11 articles were endurance and aerobic capacity. The most common measures assessed were muscle endurance (push-ups and sit-ups) and aerobic capacity (running). The least common measure was agility. Push-up and the 2.4-km (1.5-mile) run testing had the strongest correlations to law enforcement academy graduation across the studies. Grip strength may predict occupational performance (marksmanship) as well as longevity. CONCLUSION: This review concluded that the push-up and 2.4 km (1.5-mile) run fitness tests had the strongest positive correlation to law enforcement academy graduation. While these findings may be institutional specific (i.e. if this academy completes a high volume of push-ups and running these variables may be of greater importance to success), they highlight the need for these measures to be optimal prior to starting academy training and the potential use of barrier tests of these measures prior to acceptance

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Bond UniversityResearch RepositoryFitness testing in law enforcement officersZulfiqar, Mohammad M; Woodland, Jennifer; Orr, Rob Marc; Schram, Ben; Lockie, Robert G.;Dawes, JayPublished: 01/03/2019Document Version:Peer reviewed versionLink to publication in Bond University research repository.Recommended citation(APA):Zulfiqar, M. M., Woodland, J., Orr, R. M., Schram, B., Lockie, R. G., & Dawes, J. (2019). Fitness testing in lawenforcement officers: A critical review. Poster session presented at Rocky Mountain American College of SportsMedicine Annual Meeting 2019, Denver, United States.General rightsCopyright and moral rights for the publications made accessible in the public portal are retained by the authors and/or other copyright ownersand it is a condition of accessing publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights.For more information, or if you believe that this document breaches copyright, please contact the Bond University research repositorycoordinator.Download date: 17 Oct 2019Fitness Testing in Law Enforcement Officers: A Critical Review Mohammad M. Zulfiqar1 , Jennifer Wooland1, Robin Orr1,2, Ben Schram1,2, Jay Dawes3, Robert Lockie4  Background• Tactical personnel perform physically and mentally demanding tasks as part of their occupation [1]. • The ability to perform strenuous physical tasks is an expected requirement for incumbent officers if they are to complete their occupational tasks safely and in a manner that positively overcomes an adverse situation [2].• Research shows that decreased muscle power, muscle strength, metabolic fitness, and muscle endurance are components of physical fitness that may be associated with injury risk amongst police officers [3].• As police officers have a relatively higher risk of suffering cardiovascular disease (which can potentially be fatal) than the general population instances that force an officer to go from a sedentary state to a physiologically demanding state are of concerning [4]. • On the basis of occupational performance, injury risk and health risks, fitness testing is often undertaken with new police force recruits. • The aim of this review was to critically appraise research studies employing various fitness testing that police officer recruits complete, with an aim to inform on the use of fitness testing in an occupational setting.ResultsResultsSummaryConclusion• This review found that push-up testing and the 1.5 mile run times had a strong positive correlation to police academy graduation. This may be due to the fact that push-ups and the 1.5 mile run are common methods of training for police officers and offer the convenience of equipment-free training options.Key References[1]Dawes, J.J., et al., A physical fitness profile of state highway patrol officers by gender and age. Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 2017. 29(1).[2] Collingwood, T., R.J. Hoffman, and J. Smith, The need for physical fitness. Law and Order- Wilmette then Deerfield-, 2003. 51(6): p. 44-50.[3] Orr, R., et al., Leg power as an indicator of risk of injury or illness in police recruits. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2016. 13(2).[4] Ramey, S.L., et al., The effect of work shift and sleep duration on various aspects of police officers' health. Workplace health & safety, 2012. 60(5): p. 215-222.[5] Downs, S. H., & Black, N. (1998). The feasibility of creating a checklist for the assessment of the methodological quality both of randomised and non-randomised studies of health care interventions. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 52(6), 377. doi:10.1136/jech.52.6.377[6] Kennelly, J. (2011). Methodological approach to assessing the evidence Reducing Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Reproductive and Perinatal Outcomes (pp. 7-19): Springer.[7] Orr, R., et al., Grip strength and its relationship to police recruit task performance and injury risk: A retrospective cohort study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2017. 14(8).Methods• Two authors (M.Z. & J.W.) independently performed a comprehensive literature search of four databases (PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, SPORTDiscus) as shown in Figure 1. • After duplicates were removed, the remaining articles were screened for thefollowing inclusion criteria:a) Must contain Law Enforcement Officers,b) Must contain a fitness/or physical measure, andc) Must be within the years 1997-2018.Articles were excluded if they met the following criteria:a) Testing only one fitness measure,b) Health concerns, orc) Perceptions/ Opinion surveys.• Articles were critically appraised to determine the methodological quality by two authors (M.Z & J.W.) using a modified Downs and Black Checklist [5].• Cohen’s Kappa coefficient was used to measure the level of agreement  and calculated by a third author (R.O.). • The final score for each study, the Critical Appraisal Score (CAS), was calculated as a percentage and graded according to Kennelly’s grading system [6]. Article Title STR END PWR AC ANC ORPT AGI D&B KBeck et al., 2015     x   72% GoodCocke et al., 2016        73% GoodDawes et al., 2017     x  x 72% GoodDawes et al., 2017        74% GoodDawes et al., 2016 x    x   75% GoodLockie et al., 2018 x  x  x   75% GoodLockie et al., 2018 x x  x   x 73% Good Lockie et al., 2018        77% Good Orr et al., 2018      x  68% GoodShusko et al. 2017 x    x   77% GoodViolanti et al., 2017 x    x  x 82% GoodSTR= Strength,  END= Endurance, PWR= Power, AC= Aerobic Capacity, ANC= Anaerobic Capacity, ORPT= Occupational Related Physical Testing, AGI= Agility,  D&B= Downs and Black Score, K= Kennelly GradeTable 1. Results of Critical Review• The mean critical appraisal score was 74.36% (σ=1.48) which is considered as ‘good’ quality according to the Kennelly grade [6]. • The level of agreement between the reviewers (k=0.750) was considered a ‘substantial agreement’.• The most common measures assessed were endurance and aerobic capacity. The least common measure was agility (Table 1). • Push-up testing and 1.5 mile run testing had the strongest correlations to police academy graduation.• Unlike other fitness measures of muscle endurance, sit-ups had a stronger correlation to fat mass than lean muscle mass.• Grip strength fitness test results may predict occupational performance (marksmanship) as well as longevity [7].• Given that these exercises (e.g. push-ups and running) are commonly performed in these environments, push-up and 1.5 mile run testing may be useful measures through which to assess a trainees potential to complete training.• Considering a stronger correlation between sit-up fitness testing and fat mass as opposed to lean muscle mess, sit-ups may not be an efficient method of measuring trunk muscular endurance• As grip strength is a functional measure of upper body strength as well as a necessity to handle firearms, this fitness test is occupationally specific for police officers and would be beneficial to include in fitness testing for this population• Due to the high amount of cardiovascular related deaths amongst police officers, it may be beneficial to use cardiovascular based fitness tests (like the 1.5 mile run) as an ongoing assessment for qualified officers to mitigate health risks associated with police work.Figure 1 PRISMA Flow Chart detailing the search and selection processRecords identified through database searching(n = 7379)IdentificationScreeningAdditional records identified through other sources(n =5)Records after duplicates removed(n =6461)Records screened(n =6461)EligibilityFull-text articles assessed for eligibility(n =23)Studies included in qualitative synthesis(n = 11)IncludedRecords excluded (must contain law enforcement population and fitness measures)(n = 6438)Full-text articles excluded, with reasons(n = 6461)Testing only 1 fitness measure(n=9)Health concerns (injuries, illnesses etc.)(n=2)Perceptions/opinion surveys(n=1)1Bond Institute of Health & Sport, Bond University, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia 4226    2Tactical Research Unit, Bond University, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia 4226    3University of Colorado –Colorado Springs, Colorado Springs, CO, USA 80918 4 California State University- Fullerton, Fullerton, CA, USA 92831Contact: rorr@bond.edu.auRMACSM Annual MeetingMarch 1-2, 2019

Fitness testing in law enforcement officers: A critical review

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Fitness testing in law enforcement officers: A critical review

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