Musculoskeletal Injuries, Exercise Behaviors, and Reproductive Health Are Related to Physical Fitness of Female First-Responders and Health Care Providers

INTRODUCTION: Musculoskeletal injuries (MSKi) are the most common injury type
experienced by first-responders and health care providers (HCPs), making them a
significant threat to physical and mental well-being. Female reproductive health
and injury history has been related to physical fitness in female members of the
Canadian Armed Forces. This relationship has not been explored in Canadian
protective services personnel (first-responders) or HCPs.
METHODS: Fifty-seven females employed as firefighters, paramedics, law
enforcements, or HCPs completed a physical fitness protocol to assess the
following: (1) muscular power (standing long jump and medicine ball throw), (2)
muscular strength (4 repetition maximum (4RM) back squats and bench press), (3)
muscular endurance (Biering-Sorenson test, single-leg wall sit, and push-ups),
(4) flexibility (sit-and-reach), and (5) aerobic capacity (graded treadmill
VO2max test). Spearman rho correlation analyses were applied to descriptive
analysis, independent-samples t-test, one-way ANCOVA (adjusted by age), and
chi-square test. Spearman rho correlation analyses were used to compare physical
fitness results for female reproductive health history (e.g., parity status),
previous MSKi, and physical activity behaviors (e.g., sports participation). A p
value of <0.05 is considered significant. RESULTS: History of childbirth, body composition, and exercise behaviors were related to physical fitness (i.e., standing long jump, Biering-Sorenson test, bench press, and back squat) in law enforcement, firefighting, paramedicine, and health care personnel. CONCLUSIONS: Physical training programs aimed at supporting parous first-responders or HCPs should emphasize lower body power, lower body strength, and upper body strength. © C. M. Edwards et al., 2024; Published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. DOI: 10.1089/whr.2023.0189 PMCID: PMC11257141 PMID: 39035143