RESUMO
The Brazilian Air Force (BAF) has developed physical evaluations focused on the demands required in combat scenarios, giving rise to the Simulated Tasks (STs). Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to determine test-retest reliability and investigate learning effects of the five STs established among the BAF. Fifty-six subjects performed five STs three times, after completing a previous familiarisation session. Repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to determine the occurrence of learning effects, and the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was used to identify the reliability of each ST. ANOVA revealed no significant differences in the subject's scores across trials for all the STs, and the ICCs ranged from 0.75 to 0.92 (p < 0.01). In conclusion, this study identified that the five STs showed no learning effects across three successive trials and exhibited high levels of reliability.
Understanding the reliability and learning effects of the STs established among the Brazilian Air Force is crucial for their potential implementation. The subjects performed five STs three times, over the course of seven days. The results highlighted no evidence of learning effects, and high levels of reliability.
RESUMO
INTRODUCTION: The Brazilian Air Force (BAF) personnel must be prepared to perform their professional activities under the worst conditions. This preparation goes beyond habits of practicing physical activity, since it is necessary to perform specific physical tasks, referred to as "combat tasks" (CTs). This study aimed to investigate a combination of specific physical tests (SPTs) for predicting physical performance on simulated tasks (STs) that mimicked the performance of CTs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty infantry cadets from the BAF took part in anthropometric assessments, 11 SPTs, and 3 STs, during 7 testing days. Bivariate Pearson's correlation was used to determine linear relationships between SPT and ST results, and multiple linear regression models were used to identify test batteries that significantly predicted performance on STs. The level of significance was set at 5%. The study was conducted according to the guidelines of the Declaration of Helsinki and approved by the Ethics Committee of the BAF (protocol code 15796819.4.0000.5250, date of approval September 25, 2019). RESULTS: The greatest predictive power was obtained by the test battery that consisted of sprint-drag-carry, leg tucks, and handgrip strength (R2 = 0.56, P < .01). Conversely, the test battery comprised of push-ups, sit-ups, and 12-minute run (which represents the conventional physical test of the BAF), which presented the lowest predictive power (R2 = 0.14, P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, this study identified a test battery for predicting performance on the following STs: foot march, casualty drag, and move under direct fire. This finding represents the first step to improve the reliability of the BAF physical assessments, focusing on combat readiness levels.