IntroductionThe strict demands of the military environment, associated with the increase
in violence, as well as the frequent use of body armor, can further
aggravate health problems.ObjectivesTo investigate the perception of police officers of the Countryside
Specialized Police Battalion in relation to comfort, fatigue, and lower back
pain, resulting from the use of body armor.MethodsThis was a cross-sectional study conducted with 260 male military police
officers (34.62 ± 5.83 years old) belonging to the ostensive rural
police battalion in the state of Ceará, Brazil. The questionnaire
related to comfort, fatigue, and lower back pain was used to identify the
perception of pain from the use of body armor, with staggered responses, and
the results were analyzed using the SPSS 21.0 software.ResultsRegarding the use of body armor, 41.5% of participants perceived it to be
little comfortable in general; furthermore, 45 and 47.5% of military police
officers considered it little comfortable in relation to weight and use
during operational activities, respectively. With regard to body
measurements, 48.5% reported being little comfortable, and 70% perceived
that the body armor is adjustable to the body. At the end of the work shift,
37.3% complained of lower back pain, and 45.8% felt moderate fatigue.
Moreover, 70.1% felt pain in the lower back after the work shift.ConclusionsMilitary police officers reported lower back pain at the end and after the
work shift due to use of body armor, as well as little comfort of the
protective equipment and moderate fatigue at the end of the work shift.