Educational interventions in relation to the level of physical activities for police officers: a systematic literature review

Abstract

To systematically review literature in relation to the effects of health education interventions on the level of physical activities for police officers. A systematic review of controlled clinical trials, real-life experiences, quasi-experimental and observational studies investigating the effects of health education interventions in relation to the level of physical activities for police officers. The following electronic data-bases were adopted: Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, PubMed, Biblioteca Virtual em Saúde, Education Resources Information Center and Plataforma Rede Nacional de Atenção Integral à Saúde do Trabalhador. Data collection was carried out in accordance with the main items for systematic reviews. Five articles were selected (N=1302 participants). Improvements to primary and secondary outcomes in the interventions performed in groups or individually, in person and with long-term monitoring, were observed. With reference to the outcomes, educational interventions enabled the improvement, in a statistically significant manner, of the level of physical activities (60% of the studies), reduce body mass index (60% of the studies) and reduce arterial blood pressure (20% of the studies). Educational interventions are capable of improving the level of physical activities, body mass index and arterial blood pressure for police officers.