Vol. 76, No. 2Featured submission

A sedentary profession

Police officers more active at home than at work

This study was the first to measure the levels of physical activity of police officers. It revealed that police work is mainly sedentary, with bouts of intense activity. Credit: Kristin Hood

By

In spring 2014, a study was published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (JOEM) examining physical activity in police officers. There have been few efforts to characterize the physical demands of police work beyond self-report and this is the first known study to actually measure the levels of physical activity of police officers.

The study compared the measured physical activity of officers during work hours and off-duty hours, and assessed the effects of stress on physical activity. Because police officers have a higher risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD), a key objective of the study was to consider how the levels in occupational physical activity contribute to the risk.

The study included 119 officers from six departments who wore a pattern recognition monitor for four days to measure total energy expenditure, activity intensity and step count per hour.

The study found that the average level of activity by police officers is equivalent to ironing, holding a baby or washing dishes. The results indicated that participants were more active on their off-duty days than at work.

Participant involvement

The officers who participated in the study were located in Iowa (four departments), Wisconsin (one department) and the Hawaiian Islands (one department). These departments were chosen for their diversity of geographical and temperate environments as well as job responsibilities. Participation was voluntary.

The officers' physical activity was measured and assessed using the SenseWear Pro3 Armband (SP3; BodyMedia, Pittsburgh, PA) pattern recognition monitor. Worn on the upper arm, the SP3 monitor is lightweight (83 grams), unobtrusive, comfortable and accurate over a range of energy expenditures.

Officers were asked to wear the monitor for 96 consecutive hours, which included three work days and one off-duty day. It was worn continuously, except for bathing and aquatic activities, beneath the uniform or off-duty clothing. Officers also completed a written log to record activities that were more demanding than sitting during each 24-hour period and completed several surveys about general stress.

Results

As described in the JOEM journal article, 74 per cent of the participants were male and 84 per cent were Caucasian. Most participants were in mid-career: they were an average age of 40.1 years and had an average of 15.3 years service.

While 97 per cent of the officers reported being physically active (indicating participation in physical activities or exercises such as running, calisthenics, golf, gardening or walking, during the past month), 79 per cent were overweight or obese.

Overall, the average stress score on the Perceived Stress Scale (a general measure of stress) for participants was 19.4, similar to many other departments.

Typically, participants were more active on their off-duty days than at work. Male officers expended more energy per hour than female officers, both on work and off-duty days. Notably, rank-and-file officers moved more than higher ranking officers at work but not during off-duty days.

The average level of measured activity intensity was low, suggesting that police work is primarily a sedentary occupation. For example, the average activity intensity recorded while on duty equates to standing while washing dishes, reclining while holding a baby or playing cards, and standing while ironing. In other words, the physical demands of police work are generally comparable to sitting or standing.

These findings are likely not surprising to those in the profession. For years, officers have told us that their work is comprised of periods of sitting or standing with bursts of high-intensity activity.

The results of the study validate our assumption that police work is primarily a sedentary occupation and officers tend to be more active on their off days than during their work hours.

Why police should care

Police officers have a higher risk for developing CVD than the general population – this has been known for 30 years or more.

Stress not only contributes directly to CVD development but also indirectly by its effects on cholesterol, hypertension and physical activity. Because policing is considered a high-stress profession and because of the increased risk for disease occurrence, officers should take note that physical activity is a modifiable risk that they can control.

Even though police officers consistently self-report higher rates of physical activity than the general public, they still have higher rates of being overweight and obese than the general population.

According to Borrel and colleagues, individuals classified in higher Body Mass Index (BMI) categories may have higher CVD mortality risk when compared to those with normal BMI classification (2014). This suggests that greater weight may result in earlier death from CVD and many other causes for mortality.

Increased weight is associated with diabetes, high cholesterol and hypertension as well as increased risk for CVD and other chronic disease. When officers have more than one of these chronic conditions, the health consequences are compounded.

Efforts should be made to address risk factors, including physical inactivity, before chronic disease manifests. Sometimes diseases such as CVD don't become apparent until retirement. According to our large study conducted in 2008 within the Milwaukee retiree population, retired officers are 70 per cent more likely to develop CVD in retirement than counterparts of similar age in the general population and also have higher prevalence of several risk factors.

Even small changes matter and can be very beneficial. It could be that something as simple as increasing activity may decrease the risk and prevalence of CVD. Studies have shown that even moderate activity on the day off can reduce the risk for CVD and other chronic disease.

Overcoming the risks

In the book Stress, Trauma and Wellbeing in the Legal System, Ramey and Franke wrote a chapter about the increased risk for CVD among police officers and what might be done to mitigate the risk: "Combining health-risk appraisal with health education reduces the prevalence of risk factors and improves outcomes." The most effective programs were offered for a least one hour, and were repeated several times throughout the year.

"Additionally, the best programs were accompanied by a variety of health promotion activities, including health education and awareness. This methodology could be readily employed in law enforcement, since most departments have mandatory, annual, in-service training sessions. During such sessions, officers could be informed of their health risks and receive evidence-based health education on risk and disease-morbidity awareness.

However, many agencies don't have physical fitness standards for their membership. It is usually commonplace to have some sort of standard for recruits to meet while at the police academy but thereafter fitness requirements are not the norm."

Also surprising is the fact that most agencies don't require officers to have an annual physical exam.

Of course, the effects of job stress may be revealed in the lifestyle choices officers make. Tangigoshi and colleagues propose that for most officers, the psychological, emotional, physical, social and spiritual stressors of their daily work environment may contribute to unhealthy lifestyles and poor living habits.

These habits likely underlie the increased prevalence of conventional CVD risk factors often found in officers. Clearly, programs are needed to maintain well-being and minimize risk factors among police.

In the meantime, if officers are aware that they're more active on their days off than on the job, their levels of physical activity at work are primarily low, and being overweight is a serious risk factor in the profession, some may change their activity levels for the better.

References

Ramey, S., Perkhounkova, Y., Moon, M., Tseng, H., Wilson, A., Hein, M., … Franke, W. (2014). Physical activity in police beyond self-report. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 56(3), 338-343.

Franke, W., & Ramey, S. (2013). Stress and cardiovascular disease in law enforcement. In M. K. Miller & B. H. Bornstein (Eds.), Trauma, stress and wellbeing in the legal system. New York: Oxford University Press.

Ramey, S., Downing, N., & Knoblauch, A. (2008). Developing strategic interventions to reduce CVD risk in law enforcement officers: The art and science of data triangulation. American Association of Occupational Health Nurses Journal, 56(2), 54-62.

Ramey, S., Franke, W., & Downing, N. (2009). Milwaukee Police Department retirees: Cardiovascular disease risk and morbidity among aging law enforcement officers. American Association of Occupational Health Nurses Journal, 57(11), 448-453.

Borrel, L. N., & Lalitha, S. (2014). Body mass index categories and mortality risk in US adults: The effect of overweight and obesity on advancing death. American Journal of Public Health, 104(3), 512-519.

Tanigoshi, H., Kontos, A. P., & Remley, T. P. (2008). The effectiveness of individual wellness counseling on the wellness of law enforcement officers. Journal of Counseling & Development, 86(1), 64-74.

Miller, L. (2008). Stress and resilience in law enforcement training and practice. International Journal of Emergency Mental Health, 10(2), 109-124.

Date modified: