(25) DOES EXERCISE PERFORMANCE DIFFER AMONG LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS BASED ON BODY MASS INDEX CATEGORY

Purpose: To assess differences in exercise performance parameters among law enforcement officers (LEOs) based on body mass index (BMI) classifications. Methods: Five-hundred and thirty-two male LEOs (n=532; mean ± SD: age 38.9 ± 7.4 years; height: 180.1 ± 6.9 cm; body mass: 92.1 ± 15.1 kg) were retrospectively analyzed. The LEOs were stratified into three BMI classification groups, including “healthy” (18.5 – 24.9 kg/m²), “overweight” (25.0 – 29.9 kg/m²), and “obese” (≥30.0 kg/m²). Exercise performance parameters included a 1-minute push-ups and sit-ups assessment, a 20-m multistage fitness test (20MFT), estimated maximal oxygen uptake (V̇O_2max) from the 20MFT, vertical jump (VJ), and peak anaerobic power output (PAPw; calculated via the Sayre’s equation. A Shapiro-Wilk test was used to assess normality. A non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis H test with Bonferroni post hoc corrections was used (as normality was violated) to evaluate differences in exercise performance parameters between BMI classification groups, where effect sizes were calculated as partial eta squared. For pairwise comparisons between groups (i.e., healthy versus obese), effect sizes were calculated using Cohen’s d. Results: Significant differences were noted across BMI classification groups for the demographic variables, including age (H=26.857, p< 0.001, η²=0.053) and body mass (H=322.805, p< 0.001, η²=0.573). Significant differences were also noted across BMI classification groups for the exercise performance variables push-ups (H=53.583, p< 0.001, η²=0.085), sit-ups (H=99.621, p< 0.001, η²=0.179), VO_2max values (H=126.519, p< 0.001, η²=0.248), VJ height (H=65.607, p< 0.001, η²=0.127), and PAPw (H=240.467, p< 0.001, η²=0.485). In particular, significant differences were found between the healthy and overweight, healthy and obese, and overweight and obese groups, wherein the obese and overweight groups displayed lower VJ height (14.5% and 3.2%), VO_2max values (53.9% and 10.3%), push-ups (22.6% and 0.67%), and sit-ups (26.1% and 4.6%) while having a greater PAPw (36.7% and 17.5%) than the healthy group . Conclusions: These data demonstrate that a higher BMI is associated with poorer exercise performance, except PAPw. These findings highlight the importance of maintaining a healthy BMI in LEOs to support the underlying fitness variables necessary for occupational duties. Practical Applications: Law enforcement agencies and tactical strength and conditioning specialists should encourage and prioritize programs designed to help improve health, wellness, and occupational performance. Acknowledgements: None