Relationship Between Body Composition and Physical Fitness of Rescue Firefighter Personnel in Selangor, Malaysia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.3923/pjn.2017.77.83Keywords:
Body composition, body fat, body mass index, body weight, physical fitness, rescue firefighters, VO2 max testAbstract
Background and Objective: The complexity of study routine and job nature of firefighters require them to be physically fit and to possess good cardiorespiratory capacity, muscle strength and resistance including a good body composition. This study aimed to identify the relationship between body composition and physical fitness of rescue firefighter personnel in Selangor, Malaysia. Materials and Methods: A total of 230 male firefighters aged 20-39 years from 9 randomly selected districts in Selangor participated in this study. Anthropometric measurements, including height, weight, body composition and waist circumference were taken. Individual proficiency performance test was performed using bent knee sit-up, standing broad jump, pull-up, 4×10 m shuttle run and 2.4 km run to assess physical fitness. The VO2 max test was also conducted to evaluate aerobic fitness. Results: This study revealed that 42.6% subjects had normal body weight, 46.5% were overweight and 10.3% were obese. The means of bent knee sit-up test, standing broad jump, pull-up test, 4×10 m shuttle run, 2.4 km run and VO2 max test were 41.52±7.18 count, 222.41±26.03 cm, 6.93±3.79 count, 10.29±0.86 sec, 13.16±2.84 min and 37.66±5.25 mL kg–1 min–1, respectively. Body fat was significantly correlated with bent knee sit-up test (r = -0.289, p<0.001), standing broad jump (r = -0.248, p<0.001), pull-up test (r = -0.450, p<0.001), 4×10 km shuttle run (r = 0.347, p<0.001) and 2.4 km run (r = 0.371, p<0.001). Body mass index exhibited a significant correlation with bent knee sit-up test (r = -0.272, p<0.001), standing broad jump (r = -0.234, p<0.001), pull-up test (r = -0.484, p<0.001), 4×10 km shuttle run (r = 0.430, p<0.001) and 2.4 km run (r = 0.399, p<0.001). Body weight also showed a significant correlation with knee sit-up test (r = -0.239, p<0.001), standing broad jump (r = -0.187, p<0.01), pull-up test (r = -0.491, p<0.001), 4×10 km shuttle run (r = 0.396, p<0.001) and 2.4 km run (r = 0.350, p<0.001). Conclusion: A specific training programme should be implemented to improve the body composition components and physical fitness among Malaysian firefighters. The body composition components, such as body fat, body mass index and body weight seem to influence physical fitness among Malaysian firefighters excluding aerobic fitness.
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