Perceived and Measured Physical Fitness of Police Students.

Filip Kukić,Danijela Spasić,Ana Vesković,Darko Paspalj,Robert G Lockie,Dane Subošić,Nikola Petrović,Lazar Vulin,Nenad Koropanovski

doi:10.3390/ijerph17207628

Abstract

The physical fitness of police officers needs to support good health and physical performance. Physical fitness comprises a considerable amount of training for police students who are to become police officers. However, to what degree police students are able to perceive their fitness level and differentiate between health-related and performance-related physical fitness is unknown. Therefore, the first aim of this study was to investigate the possibility of differentiation between health-related and performance-related physical fitness using physical self-concept and measured indicators of physical fitness. The second aim of this study was to investigate the association between components of physical self-concept and measured indicators of physical fitness of police students. The sample of 177 police students of both sexes (98 males and 79 females) completed a 40-item physical self-description questionnaire and their physical abilities were assessed for handgrip strength, standing long jump, 30 s sit-ups, and 12-min running. Principal component analysis established health-related and performance-related physical fitness from both perceived and measured physical fitness measures. Correlation analysis revealed a significant relationship between the perceived and measured physical fitness. Results suggest small to moderate ability to recognize the level of certain physical abilities, indicating the association between psychological mechanisms and biological functioning.

Highlights

Physical fitness has been defined as the ability to complete daily activities without undue fatigue and with enough energy left for pursuing leisure activities [1]
This study firstly investigated the possibility of differentiating between health-related and performance-related physical fitness using perceived and measured indicators of physical fitness in police students
The results suggested that police students’ physical fitness could be classified as health-related and performance-related whether self-reported on their physical abilities or if their physical abilities were assessed

Summary

Introduction

Physical fitness has been defined as the ability to complete daily activities without undue fatigue and with enough energy left for pursuing leisure activities [1]. The measurement of physical fitness is an important part of the recruitment and training process of police officers because the job ranges from physically non-demanding (i.e., administrative work) to highly demanding (i.e., chasing, arresting the belligerent or controlling a riot) [2,3,4]. Next to health-related physical fitness, performance-related physical fitness is required in certain police occupations [5,6,7]. Future police officers (i.e., police students, cadets or trainees) typically complete a physical training program to improve their fitness level before becoming sworn officers [2,4,8]. Public Health 2020, 17, 7628; doi:10.3390/ijerph17207628 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph

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Conclusion