Associations between Fitness Measures and Change of Direction Speeds with and without Occupational Loads in Female Police Officers

Robin M. Orr, Filip Kukić, Aleksandar Čvorović, Nenad Koropanovski, Radivoje Janković, Jay Dawes and Robert Lockie
Additional contact information
Robin M. Orr: Faculty of Health Sciences and Medicine, Bond Institute of Health and Sport, Bond University, Gold Coast QLD 4229, Australia
Filip Kukić: Police Sports Education Center, Abu Dhabi Police 253, UAE
Aleksandar Čvorović: Police Sports Education Center, Abu Dhabi Police 253, UAE
Nenad Koropanovski: Specialized Physical Education at the department of Criminalistics, University of Criminal Investigation and Police Studies, 11080 Belgrade, Serbia
Radivoje Janković: Specialized Physical Education at the department of Criminalistics, University of Criminal Investigation and Police Studies, 11080 Belgrade, Serbia
Jay Dawes: Department of Helath and Human Performance, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74074, USA
Robert Lockie: Department of Kinesiology, California State Fullerton, Fullerton, CA 92831, USA

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 11, 1-9

Abstract: Female police officers may be required to pursue offenders on foot while wearing occupational loads. The aim of this study was to determine relationships between fitness measures and change of direction speed (CODS) in female police officers and the influence of their occupational loads. Retrospective data were provided for 27 female police officers (age = 32.19 ± 5.09 y, height = 162.78 ± 5.01 cm, and mass = 71.31 ± 13.42 kg) and included fitness measures of: lower-body power (standing long jump (SLJ)), upper-body and trunk muscle endurance (push-up (PU) and sit-up (SU)), aerobic power (estimated VO 2max ), and CODS (Illinois agility test). The CODS test was performed without and with occupational load (10 kg). Paired sample t -tests (between-load conditions) and Pearson’s correlations (relationships between measures) were performed with linear regression analysis used to account for the contribution of measures to unloaded and loaded CODS performance. CODS was significantly slower when loaded (unloaded = ~23.17 s, loaded = ~24.14 s, p < 0.001) with a strong, significant relationship between load conditions ( r = 0.956, p < 0.001). Moderate to strong, significant relationships were found between all fitness measures ranging from estimated VO 2max ( r = −0.448) to SU ( r = −0.673) in the unloaded condition, with the strength of these relationships increasing in the loaded condition accounting for 61% to 67% of the variance, respectively. While unloaded agility test performance was strongly associated with loaded performance, female police officer CODS was significantly reduced when carrying occupational loads. A variety of fitness measures that influence officer CODS performances become increasingly important when occupational loads are carried.

Keywords: law enforcement; foot pursuit; load carriage; chase; body armor (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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