The relationship between Aerobic test performance and injuries in police recruits

Lower levels of fitness are associatedwith an increased risk of injury in police recruits. The aim of this study was to determine the relationships betweeninitial aerobic performance assessments and injury risk during police recruit training. Retrospective data from 219police recruits undergoing training program at a state police training academy, including 20-m Multistage FitnessTest (MSFT) and 30-15 Intermittent Fitness Test (IFT) scores and injury data, were collected. Spearman’s correlationanalysis revealed a significant negative correlation between levels of fitness (MSFT rs = - 0.292, p < 0.001: 30-15 IFTrs=- 0.315, p < 0.001) and rates of injury. Furthermore, a Pearson’s correlation showed a strong correlation betweenMSFT and the 30-15 IFT scores (r = 0.877, p < 0.001). Police recruits with lower fitness were at a higher risk of injurythan those with higher fitness over the duration of a recruit training program. These findings indicate that aerobicperformance assessments may be used by law enforcement agencies to estimate the relative risks of injury amongcadets.