ArticleAnnals of work exposures and health2022
Physiological Demands of Common Occupational Tasks among Australian Police Officers: A Descriptive Analysis.
Article in Annals of work exposures and health, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers.
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Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed, 25 citations in OpenAlex.
- Cardiorespiratory fitness profile of volunteer firefighters during intermittent incremental exercise: A cross-sectional study.PloS one · 2026Article
- Patterns of Self-Reported Occupational Stress Experienced by Lithuanian Police Officers: A Cross-Sectional Study.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Motivation Relationships with Physical Activity and Resistance Training Engagement, and Health and Fitness of Law Enforcement Officers.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Graduation-stage physical fitness as a predictor of operational performance and injury risk among police recruits: a prospective cohort study.BMJ open sport & exercise medicine · 2025Article
- Heart rate variability is more sensitive to stress than heart rate in specialist police undergoing selection.PloS one · 2025Article
- The Use of Musculoskeletal Fitness Measures as Indicators of Performance in Police Occupational Tasks.International journal of exercise science · 2024Article
- Contributions from incumbent police officer's physical activity and body composition to occupational assessment performance.Frontiers in public health · 2023Article
- The Heart Rates and Movement Speed of Specialist Tactical Police During a Multistorey Active Shooter Training Scenario.International journal of exercise science · 2023Article
- Hormonal responses to a stress load and state anxiety, mood, tiredness, and recovery in Portuguese police cadets.Revista brasileira de medicina do trabalho : publicacao oficial da Associacao Nacional de Medicina do Trabalho-ANAMTArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesThe aim of this study was to investigate the physiological demands placed on Australian police officers carrying out common operational tasks.
methodsForty participants (n = 40) from an Australian police force (mean age = 33.58 ± 7.78 years, mean height = 177.70 ± 7.28 cm, mean weight = 85.68 ± 14.52 kg, mean years of service: 6.74 ± 6.29 years) were recruited through preidentified local area commands. Spanning nine police stations from the same Australian state, volunteers wore monitoring devices to collect physiological measures (heart rate, respiratory rate, and skin temperature) throughout the course of four consecutive shifts (two day shifts and two night shifts). Descriptive data were recorded and analyzed by task and changes in physiological measures.
resultsOf the 345 duty calls attended by participants, the four most commonly reported tasks were as follows: 'check bona fides' (n = 76; 22%), 'driving urgently' (n = 45; 13%), 'attending a domestic incident' (n = 37; 10%), and 'attending a concern for welfare' (n = 30; 8%). Mean percentages of maximum heart rates (%HRmax) were considered of very light exercise intensity and ranged from 47.11 (± 7.18) to 50.15 (± 9.35) % for checking bona fides through to driving urgently respectively. Fifteen percent of tasks attended had officers exceed 100 %HRmax (near maximal to maximal exercise intensity). Mean skin temperatures varied little (36.02-36.27°C) between tasks, while mean respiratory rates were lowest when attending a domestic incident and highest when driving urgently (22.56 ± 3.83 and 24.72 ± 6.12 breaths/min, respectively).
conclusionPolice officers experienced numerous physiological challenges ranging from an intensity of very light exercise through to near maximal and maximal exercise throughout their working day with occasions where their heart rates exceeded 100 %HRmax. These findings highlight the physiological stress associated with common occupational policing tasks, highlighting the importance of cardiovascular health in police officers and the need for cardiovascular monitoring and conditioning.
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