Comparative Analysis of the Anthropometric Body Composition of Police Personnel in Quito and Guayaquil 2021

Abstract

The functions performed by police personnel differ between police occupations, some of which are physically demanding (intervention in physical confrontations and rescue). To perform physically demanding tasks effectively and with a reduced risk of injury, health and performance-related physical fitness is very important to police officers. Assessments of physical performance in police officers are often associated with anthropometric parameters such as body fat mass and skeletal muscle mass.

The present study is a descriptive investigation, with a quantitative approach, which consisted of the comparative analysis of the anthropometric body composition of the police personnel of the intervention and rescue group, a total of 78 male police officers with a mean age of 35.10 ± participated. 6.51 years. The sample was from two main cities in Ecuador: a group of 40 police officers from the city of Quito and 38 police officers from the city of Guayaquil.

The variables of: age, range, body composition were investigated (anthropometric measurements were made complying with ISAK standards.

In both cities, the percentage of muscle mass of police professionals is high as they are personnel trained for special missions who need considerable muscle strength with an average of 46.83 ± 2.39%. When analyzing the body composition of the rescue police group in two main cities of Ecuador, no significant differences were found in the anthropometric variables and both groups present a good percentage and weight of muscle mass (p> 0.05).