The Use of Fitness Testing to Predict Occupational Performance in Tactical Personnel: A Critical Review

Abstract

Tactical personnel work in an occupation that involves tasks requiring a high level of cardiovascular fitness as well as muscular strength and endurance. The aim of this literature review was to identify and critique studies investigating the relationship between physical fitness, quantified by fitness assessment measures, and occupational task performance. Databases were searched for relevant articles which assessed a fitness measure and a measure of occupational performance. A total of 15 articles were included and were deemed to be of acceptable methodological quality (8.4/12 on the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme checklist). Included articles assessed a variety of fitness attributes and occupational tasks. Across tactical groups, there appear to be no standardized fitness tests that can determine occupational performance, with aerobic fitness, anaerobic fitness, strength, endurance, power, and agility all being associated with occupational task performance. A wide range of fitness assessments appears to be required to predict occupational performance within tactical personnel. Efforts should be made to base fitness assessments on occupational demands unique to both the environment and requirements of each individual tactical unit.

Physiological Demands of Common Occupational Tasks among Australian Police Officers: A Descriptive Analysis

“…Prior to establishing occupational standards for both mitigating health-related issues and meeting the demands of essential job tasks, it is necessary to profile the physiological demands of essential job tasks while on duty. Determining these physiological demands may provide additional benefits to law enforcement agencies as many fitness assessments within the law enforcement community have come under scrutiny for failing to be representative of the demands required of qualified police officers ( Orr et al , 2021b , 2021a ). Likewise, determining minimal fitness test scores for hiring and retention is also predicated on determining fitness levels required for the job ( Orr et al , 2021b ).…”

Fitness testing at police academies: Optimal fitness for duty

“…The extra fitness tests used in this study have been found in the literature to measure one (isolated) aspect of fitness and are therefore good reference tests that can be interpreted unambiguously. Moreover, the procedures adopted during testing are reflective of research incorporating law enforcement populations in the published scientific literature (Cocke et al, 2016;Crawley et al, 2016;Dawes et al, 2016Dawes et al, , 2017Orr et al, 2021).…”

“…This test includes components such as push-ups and sit-ups, which are utilized globally in test practices of police organizations. For more practical examples of international fitness tests, we refer to Marins et al (2018), Orr et al (2021) and Zulfiqar et al (2021), among others.…”

“…Shusko et al (2017) found that improved performance on 1.5-mile run and push-ups components were strongly associated with successful graduation and may be effective tests to optimize the fitness of recruits. Next, higher fitness standards can be used to identify recruits at risk of injury or failure (Orr et al, 2021). Suboptimal fitness may be a risk factor for injury, illness, and lost time during police academy (Orr et al, 2016; MacMillan et al, 2017).…”

Identifying the Physical Fitness and Health Evaluations for Police Officers: Brief Systematic Review with an Emphasis on the Portuguese Research

“…They also have social and psychological obligations (e.g., the daily pace of work, job responsibilities, and stress/risk situations). It appears that the physically demanding jobs require high levels of cardiovascular fitness as well as muscular strength and endurance [ 3 , 4 , 5 ].…”