Association between Body Fat Percentage and Physical Performance in Male Korean Police Officers

Abstract

Body composition can affect a police officer’s physical performance. We analyzed the correlation between body fat percentage (%fat) and physical performance in 326 male Korean police officers (age, 44.2 ± 9.2 years; height, 174.0 ± 4.5 cm; weight, 76.4 ± 8.8 kg) who were classified into two groups according to their %fat: high-fat (HFG, %fat ≥ 25%; n = 135) and low-fat (LFG, %fat < 25%; n = 191). Physical performance tests included a 100-m sprint, push-ups, sit-ups, and a hand-grip strength test. The results showed significant differences in performance between the groups in the 100-m sprint (p = 0.001) and in the sit-up test (p = 0.033), but not for push-ups (p = 0.130) or hand-grip strength (p = 0.255). A significant positive correlation was found between %fat and the 100-m sprint (r = 0.255, p < 0.000), and a negative correlation was found between %fat and push-ups (r = −0.117, p = 0.035) and sit-ups (r = −0.199, p < 0.000). However, there was no significant correlation between %fat and hand-grip strength (r = −0.093, p = 0.095). To improve physical performance, an intervention training program is recommended for reducing %fat, because high levels of %fat in male Korean police officers were associated with low levels of physical performance.

Association between Diet, Physical Activity and Nutritional Status of Male Border Guard Officers

“…It was also reported that police officers who were physically active and had a low level of body fat had better reaction times [43]. In another study it was observed that high level of body fat was associated with low level of physical performance [44]. In our study, time spent sitting positively correlated with FMI, and this was also observed by other authors [45,46].…”

Body Mass Index and Measures of Body Fat for Defining Obesity and Underweight: A Cross-Sectional Study of Various Specialties in Montenegrin Police Force

“…Higher values of average body height were recorded only among Russian police officers (182.84 cm), while Croatian (181.57 cm) and American Police officers (180.02 cm) were almost as tall as Montenegrin Police officers (Jozic & Zecic, 2017;Dawes et al, 2019;Heinrich et al, 2020). On the other hand, the height of the Police officers of Brazil (176 cm), Korea (174 cm), United Arab Emirates (173.8 cm), Serbia (172.98 cm) and India (172.6 cm) is significantly lower (Thayyil et al, 2012;Kukic & Dopsaj, 2016;Kukic et al, 2018;Kim et al, 2020;Ferraz et al, 2020). However, there is a justified hypothesis that the secular trend in the Montenegrin population is still ongoing, and that the population in the Dinaric Alps (including Montenegrin population) has not yet reached its full genetic potential, because in recent decades it has been under the influence of negative factors (wars, bad economic situation, etc.)…”

Clinical and sociodemographic factors associated with time spent sitting in military police

“…In the work environment, remaining in a sitting position occurs both in the car, carrying out patrols and in administrative activities ( 8 ) . During the workday, they spend most of their time sitting, with infrequent peaks of intense activities, carrying weight on their bodies due to their uniforms, protective equipment, such as bulletproof vests and weapons used ( 21 ) , contributing to sedentary behavior, which can trigger cardiometabolic diseases ( 22 ) .…”