engleski

Effects of a 6 month deployment to Afghanistan on physical fitness

The purpose of this investigation was examining the effect of six month deployment to Afghanistan on the measures of physical fitness of Croatian professional soldiers. A sample of 59 members of the Croatian Armed Forces (CAF) deployed to ISAF mission in Afghanistan was measured before and after a 6 months deployment. Physical fitness measurements included 7 motor tests for the assessment of coordination, agility, jumping power, sprinting power, flexibility, repetitive abdominal and upper body strength, and 2 functional tests for the assessment of aerobic and anaerobic endurance. All tested motor and functional abilities, except flexibility and VO2max, were decreased postdeployment. Significant decreases (p<.05) were obtained in agility (p=.00), repetitive abdominal (p=.02) and upper body (p=.00) strength, aerobic (p=.00) and anaerobic (p=.00) endurance. Flexibility and VO2max increased, but not statistically significant. Six months deployment to Afghanistan negatively affected agility, coordination, repetitive strength, jumping and sprinting power, aerobic and anaerobic endurance. Decreases in most physical abilities were significant and can be considered as a major problem for optimal performance and health. If additional investigations show similar results, changes in physical preparation predeployment as well as implementing supervised physical training programmes for soldiers during deployment should be considered.

military; deployment; training; strength; endurance

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