Assessment of Aerobic Fitness and Body Mass Index of Officers of the Nigerian Police Force in Enugu State, South East Nigeria

Abstract

This study assessed the aerobic fitness and body mass index of officers of the Nigerian Police Force in Enugu State, Nigeria. It was a cross-sectional study and a total number of 343 police officers participated. Aerobic fitness was evaluated with a 20-metre shuttle run also known as Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Run (PACER) test which was used to estimate maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) of participants. Body Mass Index (BMI) was also measured and a proforma was used to record PACER performance, gender, age and years of service. Mean, Standard Deviation and Linear regression were used for analyses. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25 was used for the data analysis. The findings revealed that the police officers had a mean VO2max of 46.01±8.644 ml/kg -1 ·minute -1. The police officers had a mean BMI of 25.68kg/m2, which was significantly associated (<0.001) with their VO2max. The study concluded that higher BMI is associated with decrease in VO2max. Gender had a significant relationship with the BMI of police officers, as female officers had higher BMI while male officers had lower BMI. Age had a significant relationship with the BMI of police officers, as their higher age is associated with their higher BMI. However, officers of both genders particularly females need to engage more in physical activities to have improved aerobic capacity and have their BMI within a healthy range.