Abstract
INTRODUCTION
Aerobic fitness is often assessed during the hiring process, at the start, and throughout academy
training in law enforcement recruits. The multi-stage fitness test (MSFT) is commonly used in the
UK and Australia. Incorporating distances of 15-20 m, the MSFT has the advantage of providing an
external pacing strategy. In contrast, in the USA the 1.5-mile run is arguably the most common
aerobic assessment in law enforcement. Potential limitations of the 1.5-mile run is that recruits use
an internal pacing strategy where they find a comfortable running cadence, and this assessment
requires fewer direction changes. The aim of this study was to document sex differences between
the 20-m MSFT (20MSFT) and 1.5-mile run in deputy sheriff recruits, and relationships between the
assessments.
METHODS
Retrospective analysis on recruits from four academy classes (196 males, 28 females) from one
agency was conducted. The 20MSFT was completed prior to academy training. The 1.5-mile run was
completed in the first week of academy. Between-sex comparisons in the 20MSFT and 1.5-mile run
was conducted with independent samples t-tests (p ≤ 0.05). Pearson’s correlations and linear
regression scatter plots calculated relationships between 20MSFT shuttle score and 1.5-mile run
time (the sexes were analysed separately).
RESULTS
There were no significant between-sex differences (p = 0.06) for the 20MSFT shuttles (♂ = 63 ± 19;
♀ = 56 ± 14), but there was for 1.5-mile run time (p < 0.01; ♂ = 11:21 ± 1:16 min:sec; ♀ = 12:22 ±
1:06 min:sec). 20MSFT shuttles had moderate (r = -0.42) and large (r = -0.60) relationships with 1.5-
mile run time for males and females, respectively. The r2
values from the regression equations for
males (r2 = 0.18) and females (r2 = 0.36) was relatively low.
CONCLUSIONS
The between-sex differences in the 20MSFT appeared less than that for the 1.5-mile run, although
this may have been influenced by the disparate sample size for each sex. Even with significant
relationships between the assessments, the predictive relationships were low. This could be
because the 20MSFT induces a higher running intensity via speed increases and greater requirement
for continued direction changes, which may limit transferability between the two assessments.
Further investigation of the 20MSFT is required as to its applicability to indicate academy graduation
or separation, and relationships with law enforcement-specific tasks.
Original language | English |
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Pages | 58 |
Publication status | Published - 2018 |
Event | 3rd International Conference on Physical Employments Standards - Portsmouth UK, United Kingdom Duration: 17 Jul 2018 → 19 Jul 2018 Conference number: 3rd http://www2.port.ac.uk/the-third-international-conference-on-physical-employment-standards/ |
Conference
Conference | 3rd International Conference on Physical Employments Standards |
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Abbreviated title | PES 2018 |
Country/Territory | United Kingdom |
City | Portsmouth UK |
Period | 17/07/18 → 19/07/18 |
Internet address |