CORRELATION BETWEEN THE CARDIORESPIRATORY FITNESS LEVEL AND HABITUAL PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN BRAZILIAN AIR FORCE RECRUITS

Authors

  • Vinícius de Oliveira Damasceno Postgraduate Program in Operational Human Performance, Air Force University, Brazil
  • Fábio Angioluci Diniz Campos Postgraduate Program in Operational Human Performance, Air Force University, Brazil
  • Nádia Souza Lima da Silva Air Force Academy, Brazilian Air Force, Pirassununga, Brazil
  • Shayne de Souza Mattos Postgraduate Program in Exercise and Sports Sciences, Rio de Janeiro State University, Brazil
  • Leonice Aparecida Doimo Postgraduate Program in Operational Human Performance, Air Force University, Brazil
  • Alexander Barreiros Cardoso Bomfim Postgraduate Program in Operational Human Performance, Air Force University, Brazil
  • Helder Guerra de Resende Postgraduate Program in Operational Human Performance, Air Force University, Brazil

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.46827/ejpe.v10i3.5008

Keywords:

exercise, maximum oxygen consumption, physical fitness, military personnel

Abstract

Cardiorespiratory fitness is the ability to maintain moderate or high-intensity efforts for long periods of time and is highly related to physical activity habits and fitness levels. Analyzing habitual physical activity in military personnel and its relationship with cardiorespiratory fitness is consequently fundamental. Thus, the objective of this study was to verify the correlation between the cardiorespiratory fitness level and habitual physical activity in Brazilian Air Force recruits. The sample consisted of 86 recruits in the final phase of the soldier training course. Data was collected using the 12-minute cardiorespiratory fitness test and the Baecke questionnaire validated for the Portuguese language to assess the practice of habitual physical activity. Descriptive statistics were used for sample characterization and exploratory analysis. The distribution of data normality was analyzed using the Shapiro-Wilk test, followed by Pearson’s correlation test and the Mann-Whitney U test to compare the groups with lower and higher cardiorespiratory fitness. The significance level of p ≤ 0.05 was adopted. According to the results, 63.9% of the sample had satisfactory cardiorespiratory fitness levels (good and excellent). No significant correlations were observed between cardiorespiratory fitness and habitual physical activity indices, except for the physical exercise/sports index (p= 0.05). It was found that only the Body Mass Index showed a difference (p= 0.017, Effect Size= 0.637) between the cardiorespiratory fitness groups. It is concluded that most military recruits have adequate cardiorespiratory fitness levels, but these are not influenced by the habitual practice of physical activity.

 

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Author Biographies

  • Vinícius de Oliveira Damasceno, Postgraduate Program in Operational Human Performance, Air Force University, Brazil

    Vinicius de Oliveira Damasceno (PhD), orcid.org/0000-0003-0577-9204, researcher and teaching staff, Air Force University, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

  • Fábio Angioluci Diniz Campos, Postgraduate Program in Operational Human Performance, Air Force University, Brazil

    Fábio Angioluci Diniz Campos (PhD), orcid.org/0000-0002-2626-793X,  researcher and teaching staff, Air Force Academy, Brazilian Air Force, Pirassununga, Brazil.

  • Nádia Souza Lima da Silva, Air Force Academy, Brazilian Air Force, Pirassununga, Brazil

    Nádia Souza Lima da Silva (PhD), orcid.org/0000-0003-0617-0521, researcher and teaching staff, University of Rio de Janeiro State, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

  • Shayne de Souza Mattos, Postgraduate Program in Exercise and Sports Sciences, Rio de Janeiro State University, Brazil

    Shayne de Souza Mattos, orcid.org/0000-0003-3559-1229, student in Postgraduate Program in Operational Human Performance, Air Force University, Brazil.

  • Leonice Aparecida Doimo, Postgraduate Program in Operational Human Performance, Air Force University, Brazil

    Leonice Aparecida Doimo (PhD), orcid.org/0000-0002-3241-1838, researcher and teaching staff, Air Force University, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

  • Alexander Barreiros Cardoso Bomfim, Postgraduate Program in Operational Human Performance, Air Force University, Brazil

    Alexander Barreiros Cardoso Bomfim (PhD), orcid.org/0000-0001-5918-3639,  researcher and teaching staff, Air Force University, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

  • Helder Guerra de Resende, Postgraduate Program in Operational Human Performance, Air Force University, Brazil

    Helder Guerra de Resende (PhD), orcid.org/0000-0001-7784-4840, researcher and teaching staff, Air Force University, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

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Published

2023-08-25

Issue

Vol. 10 No. 3 (2023)

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