Despite Low Obesity Rates, Body Mass Index Under-Estimated Obesity among Russian Police Officers When Compared to Body Fat Percentage

Relationship between Body Mass Index and Health and Occupational Performance among Law Enforcement Officers, Firefighters, and Military Personnel: A Systematic Review

The prevalence of overweight and obesity among tactical populations is estimated at 70%-75%, which may negatively impact health and performance. The relationship between BMI and health and performance is well established among the general population, however, literature on such relationships among tactical populations has yet to be reviewed and evaluated. The purpose of this study was to systematically review available literature on the relationship between BMI and health and occupational performance among law enforcement officer, firefighters, and military personnel. After reviewing the literature, 27 articles were included. Nine studies found BMI was positively associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors. Studies involving BMI and cancer were lacking. One study found BMI was positively associated with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) risk. Five studies on occupational/physical performance and 12 studies on injury found a higher BMI was often indicative of decreased performance and increased risk of injury in general, but protective against stress fractures. Overall, higher BMI was often associated with negative health and performance outcomes among tactical populations, especially when beyond the overweight classification. Public health practitioners should focus efforts on improving nutrition and physical activity to promote a healthy BMI among these individuals.

Risk Factors for Heart Disease in Working Railwaymen

Heart diseases are the most common non-communicable diseases worldwide. We examined the prevalence of risk factors for heart disease among a sub-population of working men. In total, 11,059 railway crew workers of the Russian Railways Company were included in the study. We also asked participants to answer several questions based on the WHO STEPwise approach to surveillance (STEPS) translated into Russian. Only 30% of drivers had normal body mass index (BMI), whereas 70% were overweight or obese. In 12% of subjects, total cholesterol was higher than 5 mmol/L. In 15% of participants, glucose level was higher than 5.5 mmol/L. 38% of drivers reported smoking. Physical inactivity was registered in 54% of persons. Only 29% ate according to the key principles of good diet quality. 24% of respondents had a family history of heart disease. MANOVA demonstrated that BMI was determined by age, profession, smoking, physical inactivity, and diet quality. As age increased, the number of people with normal cholesterol levels decreased. It was demonstrated that a correlation existed between glucose levels and BMI. In the total group, the correlation was 0.46 (p < .05). The correlation between those parameters increased due to age, from 0.33 in the <30 years of age group up to 0.52 in the >50 years of age group. This study demonstrated that there is a high prevalence of risk factors for heart disease in train drivers in the Russian Federation.

Longitudinal relationship between body fat percentage and risk of type 2 diabetes in Chinese adults: Evidence from the China Health and Nutrition Survey

Objective

Body fat percentage (BF%) might be an alternative index of obesity which is the major risk factor for developing type 2 diabetes (T2D). We aim to longitudinally evaluated the relationship between BF% and risk of T2D.

Methods

A sample of 5,595 adults aged 18-65 who participated in two waves of China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS 2015 and 2018) was analyzed. Two level mixed-effects modified Poisson regression with robust estimation of variance stratified by sex was used to evaluate the risk ratios (RRs) for T2D according to quintiles of BF%, and the curves of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) were plotted to identify the optimal total and trunk BF% cut-off points for predicting an increased T2D risk.

Results

In males, compared with subjects in the first quintile of total BF%, those in the third (RR = 2.03, 95% CI 1.09-3.79), fourth (RR = 2.56, 95%CI 1.46-4.48), and fifth (RR = 2.16, 95%CI 1.22-3.82) quintile had higher risk of T2D after adjusting for all potential confounders (p-trend < 0.001). For females, the RR (95% CI) was 1.92 (1.14, 3.24) in the fifth quintile (p-trend = 0.014). Males and females with a trunk BF% >25.5 and 34.4% (≥ quintile 4), respectively, were at significantly increased risk of T2D (p-trend = 0.001). Besides, the optimal cut-off values of total and trunk BF% were 21.9 and 25.2% for males, and 36.7 and 30.3% for females, respectively.

Conclusions

The incident risk of T2D significantly increased over specific level of total and trunk BF% in both Chinese males and females, and the optimal BF% cut-off values were valuable for clinical application of BF% based on sex difference, which may be a cost-effective implementation for prevention and treatment of T2D in China.

Association of waist to height ratio with 2.4 kilometers running time among male police populations

BACKGROUND: Body anthropometrics are biologically predetermined, while morphology responds to energy intake and output and stressors, thus impacting health. Fitness is impacted by these bodily characteristics. OBJECTIVE: This study determined to what degree anthropomorphic measures and age of police officers determined 2.4 km running performance. METHODS: Age, height, weight, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) and 2.4 km running time (RUN) of 1916 male police officers were directly measured and analyzed. After determining correlations of anthropomorphic variables with RUN. Stepwise linear regressions evaluated individual associations of age, height, weight, BMI, WC, and WHtR with RUN, to determine the model with the highest predictive value of RUN performance. RESULTS: WHtR was the strongest RUN predictor (r = 0.672, R2 = 0.451, p < 0.001), while the best predictive model apart from WHtR also included age and BM (R2 = 0.556, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: WHtR was the strongest anthropomorphic predictor of RUN performance. As a predictor, WHtR provides information on both anthropometric and morphology components of police officers. Its utilization among police occupations may be more effective than BMI as it better relates to performance.

Accuracy of Body Mass Index and Obesity Status in Police Trainees

The first aim of this study was to compare body mass index (BMI) (indirect method) classification with the body fat percent (PBF) (direct method) and to determine how BMI classifies subjects with different levels of skeletal muscle mass percent (PSMM). The second aim was to determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity status among police trainees (PTs). A total of 103 male PTs participated in this research: age = 21.46 ± 0.64 years, body mass (BM) = 75.97 ± 8.10 kg, body height (BH) = 174.07 ± 6.31 cm, BMI = 25.05 ± 2.12 kg/m². The InBody 370 multichannel bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) measured body composition. Study results indicated that muscular PTs could be misclassified as overweight and that PBF identified more subjects as obese. Namely, three PTs were obese according to BMI, while 13 were obese according to PBF. The information provided by this research could be used to help professionals understand the importance of measuring body composition, and the inaccuracies in BMI classification. In conclusion, whenever possible PSMM and PBF should replace the utilization of BMI to screen overweight and obesity in PTs. Agencies may think of using BIA as non-invasive, quick and inexpensive measurement tool.

Cardiorespiratory Fitness Is Associated with a Reduced Cardiovascular Risk in Occupational Groups with Different Working Conditions: A Cross-Sectional Study among Police Officers and Office Workers

Several studies reported a high prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors among police officers and office workers, and adequate cardiorespiratory fitness was reported to have protective effects in reducing cardiovascular risk. Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate the effects of cardiorespiratory fitness on reducing cardiovascular risk factors in these occupational groups. This cross-sectional study enrolled 101 male participants (55 police officers and 46 office workers). Cardiorespiratory fitness was assessed via spiroergometry. Cardiovascular risk factors were also examined, and the 10-year cardiovascular risk and heart/vascular age were reported using the Framingham risk score. In both groups, higher cardiorespiratory fitness was associated with lower cardiovascular risk factors. Police officers and office workers with higher cardiorespiratory fitness demonstrated significantly lower values in BMI, waist circumference, body fat percentage, diastolic resting blood pressure, heart rate, triglycerides and total cholesterol values, and 10-year cardiovascular risk and heart/vascular age (all factors p < 0.0077, age adjusted). Police officers and office workers mostly presented low levels of cardiorespiratory fitness: 60% of police officers and 58% of office workers were considered “not fit and obese”. Despite different working conditions, both occupational groups had a high rate of low cardiorespiratory fitness levels and showed no differences in their cardiovascular risk profiles. In both groups, cardiorespiratory fitness reduced cardiovascular risk factors, but there was no difference in the influence of cardiorespiratory fitness on cardiovascular risk factors.

No differences in the body fat after violating core bioelectrical impedance measurement assumptions

Objective

It is unclear to what degree acutely violating bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) measurement assumptions will alter the predicted percent fat mass (%FM) and whether this differs by sex or body mass index (BMI).

Methods

%FM was assessed under control, dehydration, exercise, water, food intake and non-voided bladder conditions with three BIA devices (Tanita: BC-418, TBF-314, & Omron HBF-306CN) for men (n = 23, age: 24.0 ± 5.2 years old) and women (n = 17, age: 22.5 ± 3.4 years old) separately.

Results

For all BIA devices, there were no differences in the %FM values between the control and the other conditions in men or women (− 1.9 to 0.4%, p > 0.05). Across the three devices and five conditions, 97% of %FM tests returned values within 5% of control (2 tests), and 86% of tests were within 2% of control despite violating an assumption. The errors were greatest with dehydration and women were more likely to have a %FM difference greater than 2% than men with dehydration using the hand-to-foot device (Tanita TBF-314: 59% versus 9%). There were no differences in %FM between control and the conditions when examined by BMI (overweight/obesity: − 2.8 to 0.1% and normal weight: − 1.7 to 0.5%; BMI*trial, p = 0.99).

Conclusion

%FM estimates were similar despite acutely violating the preliminary measurement BIA assumptions across a range of different BMIs. The minor variations in %FM are smaller than what would be expected with day-to-day variability or weight loss intervention but may be larger in women than men.

Differences in Body Composition across Police Occupations and Moderation Effects of Leisure Time Physical Activity

This study investigated differences in the body composition of police officers from different occupational groups and the moderation effects of leisure time physical activity (LTPA). A sample of 237 police officers (special anti-terrorist unit, gendarmerie, firefighters, and general duties) participated in the study. Body mass index (BMI), percent of body fat (%BF), percent of skeletal muscle mass (%SMM), and index of hypokinesia (IH) were assessed using a multichannel bioelectric impedance analyzer and officers reported the amount of LTPA using an international physical activity questionnaire. The sample was divided in three groups relative to LTPA, sedentary (0–149 min/week), moderately active (150–299 min/week), and very active (300+ min/week). Multiple analysis of variance (4 × 3) was used to analyze if occupational groups differed based solely on occupation, if officers from the same occupation differed in muscularity and fatness based on LTPA, and if any differences in body composition occurred between officers from different occupations with the same level of LTPA. Police officers from more physically demanding occupations demonstrated lower %BF and IH, while having higher %SMM. This was also observed among the officers of the same occupation who reported a higher LTPA, while officers who reported very high LTPA had similar body composition.