A 7-month multi-disciplinary healthy lifestyle intervention effectively improved cardiometabolic risk profile of firefighters.

OBJECTIVE: We investigated the effect of a 7-month healthy lifestyle intervention on cardiometabolic risk factors (CMRF) among male career military firefighters (FFs). METHODS: 49 FFs participated in a 7-month workplace multi-disciplinary healthy lifestyle intervention designed to reduce CMRF through exercise, diet, and improved sleep. Medical assessments, accelerometry, and surveys at the beginning and end determined program effectiveness. RESULTS: At the end of the intervention period, there was a significant improvement in measures of body composition and blood glucose. The prevalence of hypertension also decreased significantly (p < 0.01). The 57% of participants who fully adhered to the program had significantly greater improvements across multiple CMRF. Participants increased their physical activity and improved their diet following the intervention. CONCLUSION: This healthy lifestyle intervention was effective in changing behavior and lowering cardiometabolic risk among FFs.

Recruit fitness and police academy performance: a prospective validation study.

BACKGROUND: Police academies need fit recruits to successfully engage in training activities. In a previous retrospective study, we documented that recruits with poor fitness at entry to the academy had significantly lower graduation rates, and we also suggested evidence-based entry-level fitness recommendations. AIMS: To validate our findings in a prospective cohort of police recruits. METHODS: Recruits entering Massachusetts municipal police academies during 2015-16 were followed prospectively until they dropped out, failed or successfully graduated their academy classes. Entry-level fitness was quantified at the start of each training class using: body composition, push-ups, sit-ups, sit-and-reach and 1.5-mile run time. The primary outcome of interest was the odds of failure (not successfully graduating from an academy). We used logistic regression to assess the probability of not graduating, based on entry-level fitness. RESULTS: On average, successful graduates were leaner and possessed better overall entry-level fitness. After adjusting for age, gender and body mass index, several fitness measures were strongly associated with academy failure: fewer sit-ups completed (OR 9.6 (95% CI 3.5-26.3) (≤15 versus 41-60)); fewer push-ups completed (OR 6.7 (95% CI 2.5-17.5) (≤20 versus 41-60)); and slower run times (OR 18.4 (95% CI 6.8-50.2) (1.5 miles in > 15 min 20 s versus 10 min 37 s to 12 min 33 s)). The prospective study results supported previously suggested minimum entry-level fitness (95% graduation rate) and target (98% graduation rate) recommendations. CONCLUSIONS: Push-ups completed and 1.5-mile run time at police academy entry were successfully validated as predictors of successful academy graduation, while sit-ups were also a strong independent predictor in the prospective study.

Health-related physical fitness and quality of life in men with congenital hypogonadotropic hypogonadism.

Congenital hypogonadotropic hypogonadism is a rare disorder characterised by impaired testosterone secretion since birth, and represents a valuable model for studying the effects of testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) in humans. This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate all health-related physical fitness (HRPF) components and quality of life in a series of eight men with hypogonadotropic hypogonadism under regular TRT. The study group was compared to a control group of 16 healthy subjects paired for age, body mass index and physical activity. Body composition, aerobic capacity, muscular strength and endurance, and joint flexibility were evaluated in two different 7-day interval time points, based on the pharmacokinetics of testosterone in the hypogonadal group. Quality of life was assessed by the WHOQOL-brief questionnaire. Both groups had similar performances in all HRPF components evaluated, independently of plasma testosterone levels (p > .05). Quality of life was also similar in the four domains analysed (p > .05). The results of this pilot study suggest that regular testosterone replacement was efficient in providing HRPF and quality of life in a series of congenitally hypogonadal men to levels like those observed in healthy men. In addition, acute fluctuations in plasma testosterone did not correlate with changes in muscle strength and endurance.

Health-related physical fitness in middle-aged men with and without metabolic syndrome.

AIM: Objective of the study was to compare health-related physical fitness (HRPF) between men with and without metabolic syndrome (MS) and to evaluate the risk of being unfit associated with MS. METHODS: The study included 79 middle-aged civil servant men (46.2 ± 8.4 years) who underwent a physical annual evaluation to access HRPF as follows: BMI; cardiorespiratory fitness by Ebbeling test (VO(2max)), flexibility by sit-and-reach test (SRT), muscular strength by handgrip test (HDT) and vertical jump test (VJT) and muscular endurance by push-up test (PUT). MS was defined by the ATP III (2009) criteria. Comparisons were performed with the Mann-Whitney test and univariate General Linear Model was used for age-adjusted analysis. Odds ratio (OR-95% CI) was calculated to evaluate the odds of the MS group to be unfit and the odds of having MS according to the HRPF levels. RESULTS: Nineteen volunteers (24.1%) with MS were identified. After age adjustment, VO(2max) and BMI were significantly different in the MS group than in the non-MS group: 39.7 vs. 44.8 mL.kg-1.min⁻¹ and 29.4 vs. 25.7 kg/m² (P<0.05) and PUT tended to be lower in men with MS (16 vs. 21 repetition; P=0.06). Blood pressure ≥ 130/85 mmHg was the most prevalent MS criterion, associated with lower VO(max) (40.3 vs. 45.6 mL.kg⁻¹.min⁻¹) and SRT (22.2 vs. 28 cm), and higher BMI (28.9 vs. 25.3 kg/m²) (P<0.05). The OR of being unfit for VO2max and BMI in the MS group were 6.5 (1.9-22.6) and 5.7 (1.2-26.8). The odds of having MS increased by 23% (3-45%) for each BMI unit increase, irrespectively to age. CONCLUSION: MS group showed lower VO(2max), PUT, higher BMI and a greater risk of being unfit compared to the non-MS one. The proportion of MS was 3.4-fold higher within those with lower VO(2max). Small reductions on BMI may produce significant decrease on MS prevalence.