Health, wellness, and fitness training
| Published date | 01 March 2018 |
| Date | 01 March 2018 |
| DOI | 10.1177/1461355718756412 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
Article
International Journal of
Police Science & Management
Health, wellness, and fitness training:
2018, Vol. 20(1) 66–79
ª The Author(s) 2018
A pilot study on preparing physically
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fit and police academy-ready graduates
DOI: 10.1177/1461355718756412
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Carol A DeNysschen
Department of Health, Nutrition, and Dietetics, State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo State, USA
Catherine Cardina
Department of Health, Nutrition, and Dietetics, State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo State, USA
James J Sobol
Criminal Justice Department, State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo State, USA
Bridget Zimmerman
President of Nautilus Evaluation Services, Rushville, NY, USA
Alexander Gavronsky
Staten Island University Hospital, USA
Abstract
Law enforcement can be a physically and mentally demanding occupation. It is well known that health and fitness is
highly related to job performance, career longevity and safety. There is insufficient research on the development of
higher education-based coursework in criminal justice programs that emphasize the development of healthful behavior
patterns and physical fitness. The purpose of this study was to determine if successful completion of a 14-week health
education and fitness training course would increase participants’ physical fitness and capabilities to perform essential
physical fitness tasks needed for a career in law enforcement. Fifty-one college students participated in a health
promotion program that included multiple components of wellness such as physical fitness, exercise principles,
healthy eating behaviors, goal setting and stress management. Results indicated that a college-based health
promotion course can successfully prepare physically fit and police academy-ready criminal justice graduates that
have an educational foundation in healthy lifestyle.
Keywords
Higher education, police academy, criminal justice, occupational health, curriculum
Submitted 11 Jul 2017, Revise received 29 Nov 2017, accepted 04 Dec 2017
Introduction
Police officers are frequently exposed to job-related
trauma, physical demands and stressful situations. Employ-
Corresponding author:
James J Sobol, Criminal Justice Department, SUNY Buffalo Research
ment in law enforcement also demands a multitude of
Foundation at SUNY, Buffalo State College, 1300 Elmwood Avenue, Class-
physical skills that are reliant on aerobic and muscular
room Building C113, Buffalo, NY 14222, USA.
endurance, physical strength and agility (Bissett et al.,
Email: soboljj@buffalostate.edu
DeNysschen et al.
67
2012; Boyce et al., 2008; Lagestad and Van den Tillaar,
cardiorespiratory fitness. Although these occupational fac-
2014), and times when they may have to physically defend
tors among law enforcement officers may contribute to
themselves (Bonneau and Brown, 1995, but see Lonsway,
reduced diet quality and rates of obesity, physical activity
2003). Police academies nationwide place a priority on
and diet education, as part of lifestyle management, have
instilling the need for individual physical fitness, which
been shown to decrease obesity and cardiovascular disease
includes emphasizing the significant impact fitness has
(Ford et al., 2005).
on a law enforcement officer’s health, job performance,
Modifying risk factors that contribute to chronic disease
career longevity and work safety. Benefits of physical fit-
can have myriad benefits. For example, obesity-attributable
ness among law enforcement officers include: enhanced
workdays missed (not including overweight-attributable
work-related management of situations requiring the use
workdays missed) cost the national workplace an estimated
of physical force, better state of wellness, decreased
$8.65 billion per year, along with increased sick days due to
chronic disease risk, and a strengthened psychological
absenteeism (Andreyeva et al., 2014). Specific to law
wellbeing (Lagestad and Van den Tillaar, 2014). Conver-
enforcement, the economic consequences of chronic dis-
sely, insufficient physical fitness may be detrimental to an
ease during service was significant with the calculated cost
officer’s performance of occupational duties and can lead
of a heart attack during service approximately $400,000 to
to increased injury, heightened risk for cardiovascular dis-
$700,000 (Quigley, 2008). Quigley (2008) also noted that
ease, reduced productivity, and escalation of healthcare
much of early law enforcement retirements were attributed
costs for police departments nationwide (Dimitrijevic
to low fitness levels, with 20–50% due to heart disease and
et al., 2014; Mahony and Prenzler, 1996).
15–35% due to back problems.
The association between low physical activity and obe-
Increasing fitness levels and reducing rates of obesity
sity and an increased risk of chronic disease has been well
through structured physical activity programs contribute to
established (Darren et al., 2006; Visscher and Seidell,
lower healthcare expenditures among workers. Notably,
2001). For example, low cardiorespiratory fitness along
physical activity helps decrease the onset of chronic com-
with excess weight status were associated with obesity-
plications, therefore reducing workforce absenteeism. A
related conditions that increase the risk of heart disease,
study analyzing fitness and injury among the Minneapolis
stroke and diabetes (e.g., metabolic syndrome) (Ford
Police Department workforce found that those considered
et al., 2002). Garbarino and Magnavita (2015) found that
more physically fit were less likely to experience muscu-
the majority of police officers studied (88%) experienced
loskeletal injuries, such as sprains, back pain, and chronic
work-related stress and police officers with high stress had
pain (Nabeel et al., 2007). Workers who were more physi-
an increased adjusted risk of developing metabolic syn-
cally active in their leisure time reported decreased absen-
drome.1 Analysis of obesity rates among US workers
teeism (14.8 sick days per year) compared with those who
between 1997 and 2002 found that police and fire fighters
were not active (19.5 sick days per year) (Ludovic et al.,
were among the most obese, with a 29.8% prevalence rate.
2006). Sullivan et al. (2007), studying the impact of cardi-
From 2004 to 2011, obesity prevalence among males and
ometabolic risk factors on productivity costs in the work-
females in law enforcement was 38.2% and 27.3% respec-
place, concluded that cardiometabolic risk factor clusters
tively (Gu et al., 2014).2
result in $17.3 billion lost in workplace productivity. Using
Many occupational factors may contribute to obesity
the 2000–2004 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, Cawley
rates among law enforcement populations, such as the
et al. (2007) analyzed the costs per missed workday.
nature and quantity of work, changing shift schedule, and
Among men and women classified as obese, the per-
work-related stress. Police officer duties, in general,
employee costs of obesity-related absenteeism were $70
require many hours of work, often in the form of shift work,
and $142 a day, respectively. In morbidly obese categories,
which may lead to inconsistent sleep schedules, decreased
costs increased to $198 for men and $238 for women per
adherence to a fitness regime, and limited time to prepare
sick day.
and consume balanced meals. In addition, when working in
The benefits of physical fitness to overall health and
the field, officers often do not have access to healthy food
wellbeing have been widely established. In a physical and
choices or refrigeration, further contributing to reduced diet
mentally demanding occupation such as law enforcement,
quality. Diet is also influenced by stress. According to
fitness is highly related to career success and safety.
Torres and Nowson (2007) chronic life stress might be
Because of the importance of adequate physical fitness
causally linked to weight gain, with a greater effect seen
levels in this population, a physical fitness test is often one
in men. Violanti et al. (2006) also reported that the stress
of the main components of a police academy’s entrance
from police work increases the risk for associated diseases.
examination process. Unfortunately, many do not pass the
Police officers are frequently sedentary on patrol while
police academy fitness test on the first attempt in New York
sitting long hours in vehicles, which leads to low
State (Officer.com, 2012). This is of concern considering
68
International Journal of Police Science & Management 20(1)
that many college students spend their undergraduate
Others have reported a trend towards declining physical
careers studying criminal justice with the hopes of entering
activity levels in persons entering the workforce, and this
a police academy upon graduation, only to be unsuccessful
was especially true of law enforcement students as they
at passing the physical fitness portion of the entrance exam-
transitioned from college to the workforce ((Lagestad and
ination process. The inability to pass the fitness test indi-
Van den Tillaar, 2014). To date, there is insufficient
cates that recent criminal justice graduates were not
research on the development of higher-education-based
adequately prepared with regard to the physical demands
coursework in law enforcement programs that emphasize
of law enforcement. Even more unsettling is the average
the development of lifelong healthful...
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