Evaluation Of The Health And Physical Fitness And Factors Influencing Retention Of Scholastic Sports Officials In The Sport Of American Football

Abstract

PURPOSE: As the competitive level and skill level of the athletes increases, so does the demand and elevation in expectation of that official’s performance. There is currently a dearth of information and data as it relates to the official’s capacity and ability to perform their job. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the health and physical fitness status as well as job satisfaction of officials in the sport of American football. METHODS: Eighteen National Federation of High Schools certified officials in the sport of American football participated in the study. Participants completed an Adult Health History Questionnaire to risk classify for cardiovascular disease (CVD) according to American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) standards (ACSM, 2017). Also, each participant completed a Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (1977) related to their current officiating responsibilities. In addition, each participant had body mass index (BMI) assessed using standard scales. RESULTS: Descriptive statistics showed that the mean age of the participants was 47.7±13.2 years old with a mean BMI of 29.0±5.0 kg/m2. 50.0% of participants were classified as High Risk for CVD, 27.8% Moderate Risk, and 16.7% Low Risk. A significant correlation was found between age and total sports officiated (r = -.505, p = 0.046) and while the correlation between BMI and extrinsic satisfaction (r = -.493, p = 0.062) was not significant, it did imply a moderate correlation. A one-way ANOVA exhibited a significant difference between ACSM risk classification and the number of sports officiated (p = 0.044). A post-hoc Tukey test indicates that individuals who are High Risk officiate significantly more sports (p = 0.046) than those who are Moderate Risk. However, High Risk was not significantly different from Low Risk and Low Risk was not significantly different from Moderate Risk (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Based on the results of the current study, it appears that the data can confirm that as officials get older they tend to drop out of officiating. In addition, a large degree of officials (77.8%) were considered either Moderate or High Risk for CVD, implying that the physiological stress that officiating typically entails could place these individuals at an increased risk of experiencing a cardiovascular event.