Examining the physical fitness of the personnel of the Security Department of the Central Organization of Islamic Azad University and comparing it with international standards

Dissertation for Master's degree (M.A)

in the field of physical education and sports sciences - sports physiology orientation

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to investigate the physical fitness of the personnel of the Security Department of the Central Organization of Islamic Azad University and compare it with international standards. The statistical population included all personnel of the Central Organization's Protection Department and their number was 87 people. The ratio of waist circumference to hip circumference (WHR), body mass index (BMI), cardiovascular fitness (Cooper test), chest press record (1RM), leg press record (1RM) and muscle flexibility were measured. A tape measure was used to measure the hip circumference and waist circumference and the height of the subjects, a weight to determine the weight of the subjects, running for 12 minutes around the athletics track to measure the cardiovascular endurance of the subjects, the sit and brush test while sitting and with straight legs and bending over the measuring board were used to determine the flexibility of the subjects. To analyze the data from inferential statistics, independent one-way variance analysis was used to compare physical fitness components in age groups. If a significant difference is observed, Tukey's post hoc test is used. The level of significance is considered for all calculations (p < 0.05). SPSS-15 computer software was also used for data interpretation. The results of the present study showed that considering the need for physical fitness for the subjects, considering the nature of the job and the need for these people to deal with unexpected incidents and even physical conflicts at the workplace in violation of university rules, unfortunately, the personnel of this center were not well prepared compared to international standards. And the records obtained from these people showed that the personnel of the central organization of the university were overweight, had low cardiovascular fitness and low flexibility of body muscles.

-1- Introduction

The importance of physical activity as a complementary part of a healthy life has expanded and scientific evidence of the health benefits of exercise and sports is increasing. Studies show that physical activity with repetition, intensity, appropriate duration and based on regular programs has significant benefits. Maintaining a suitable level of physical fitness elements such as cardiovascular endurance, muscle strength and endurance, body composition and flexibility is effective in reducing the risk of heart diseases, blood pressure, diabetes, osteoporosis, obesity, and mental disorders and depression. Reducing the number of heart attacks and maintaining independent function in old age is one of the benefits of regular exercise. In addition, physically active people live longer than inactive people. The relationship between physical activities and health has been followed and investigated from ancient Greece to the present day. Early records describing activity as beneficial to health are now recognized as authoritative documents. There is evidence to support lack of regular exercise as a factor in poor physical fitness. People who do not have physical activities and are sedentary, often suffer from poor mobility and the resulting conditions. As western civilizations move toward mechanization, physical effort becomes less important as a part of people's lives. Despite this, not only the need for regular exercises has not decreased, but this need is also increasing day by day. In this situation, regular physical activities can increase health and wellness in many ways of life. Physical activities can develop the physiological capacity, i.e. strength, endurance and flexibility in humans and reduce the risks caused by inactivity. In addition to that, it also creates positive changes in other risk factors of these diseases. Therefore, exercise as a part of a healthy life is getting more customers day by day and the need for basic exercise is also increasing. For this purpose, there are various training methods such as aerobic [1], anaerobic [2] and combined [3] training, which improve physical fitness and reduce the complications caused by inactivity. In this research, the level of physical fitness of the personnel of the Protection Department of the Central Organization of Islamic Azad University and its comparison with the international standards are examined. And it is an acquisition that determines the ability of physical activity, and practice and preparation lead to the comprehensive development of endurance.

1-2- Statement of the problem

Physical fitness is a set of inherent and acquired characteristics that determine the ability to perform physical activity, and training and preparation lead to the comprehensive development of endurance, strength, speed, flexibility and coordination. On the other hand, exercise and training should include psychological and social dimensions, which are essential in improving performance, exercising and preparing people (Anbarish, Moghadsimi M, Turkafar A, Rahimizadeh A, Khademi Y. Physical fitness and general health of male employees. Armaghane Danesh. Volume 17, No. 1, Farvardin and Ardibehesht 91. 40-49). Optimal physical fitness plays an important role in the health of people in the society, so that in most cases, people's physical and mental illnesses and ailments are the result of their mechanical life, poor movement and low physical fitness (Lawrence, R., Brawley. (2003). "Promoting Physical Activity for Older Adults". The Challenges for Changing Behavior, Am. J. Prev. Med; 25). Not having enough knowledge about the level of physical fitness and well-being of different people in the society has made it difficult to plan for the development of the health level of people, officials and planners of the country (Rajabi, Hamid. 2014. Evaluation of physical composition and cardio-respiratory fitness of male and female students across the country and the preparation of relevant national norms". Research report, Physical Education Research Institute). Also, the government and various institutions annually incur heavy costs for the treatment of various diseases and ailments, which must be provided through Various solutions, especially the development of the health level of the people of the society, to reduce these costs in order to provide more funds for construction and prevention projects (Anbarish, Moghadasi M, Turkafar A, Rahimizadeh A, Khademi Y. Physical fitness and general health of male employees. Armaghane Danesh. Volume 17, Number 1, Farvardin and Ardibehesht 91. 49-40).

The human body in order to play its role effectively in life It must be in good condition. The body's ability and efficiency depends on the amount of muscle growth and fitness. As adults age, the body's ability to perform many activities is limited (Jonathan R. Ruiz, Xuemei Sui, 2009). "Muscular Strength and Adiposity as Predictors of Adulthood Cancer Mortality in Men". American Association for Cancer Research, 18 (5). But there is evidence that shows that appropriate exercise in terms of amount and intensity can reduce these limitations.

People who exercise regularly have stronger skeletons, more powerful muscles, more endurance, more mobile joints and less fat compared to their inactive peers (Russell R. Pate, Michael Pratt, Steven N. Blair, William L. Haskell, Caroline A. Macera, et al. Physical Activity and Public Health A Recommendation From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American College of Sports Medicine. JAMA. 1995; 273(5): 402-407.

The effect of regular exercise and its benefits can be attributed to the improvement of blood circulation in the body and the delivery of oxygen to the tissues, especially the brain (Michelle Plowman. Exercise is brain food: The effects of physical activity on cognitive function. Developmental Neurorehabilitation, July 2008; 11(3): 236-240).

From the point of view of physical fitness related to health, regardless of age, muscle development and maintaining body composition and achieving cardiovascular fitness that leads to sufficient oxygen supply to body tissues, there are various training methods to benefit from endurance and resistance training. Undoubtedly, the design of sports programs by considering the number of repetitions, intensity and time of training improves the physical fitness of a person and provides the best conditions for bodybuilding. In life, we all gravitate toward behaviors that are beneficial to health and avoid behaviors that are harmful. Therefore, choosing the path is important. The process of moving towards health will be achieved through improvement in physical fitness, good nutrition, proper communication with others, attention to oneself and the surrounding environment (James Swan, Philip Hyland. A Review of the Beneficial Mental Health Effects of Exercise and Recommendations for Future Research. Psychology & Society, 2012, Vol. 5 (1), 1-15). Philip Hyland. A Review of the Beneficial Mental Health Effects of Exercise and Recommendations for Future Research. Psychology & Society, 2012, 1-15).