Amano, George Phillippe Cariaga

Abstract: Law enforcement is known to be one of the most challenging professions globally, in which officers must be physically and mentally fit to better serve and protect the communities they serve. This research study was conducted to evaluate the physical fitness program of the uniformed PNP personnel in Vigan City. This study provides localized, evidence-based insights that may guide the enhancement of police health and wellness programs at the station and regional levels. The research design was a descriptive correlational study with 151 uniformed personnel, including 127 males and 24 females, who were chosen to complete the validated questionnaire. The paper addressed demographic variables, such as age, years in service, BMI, and health condition, among the respondents, lifestyle choices, adherence to health and physical fitness, and identified the problems they have encountered with health and physical fitness. These findings indicated that the PNP staff is predominantly young, with no employees over 30 years old, a decent proportion of male employees (84.1%), and less than 10 years of service. The number of those who were overweight and obese (51.7%) was more than half. The majority of participants (71.5%) met the physical fitness standards, but even then, a significant proportion were unable to achieve optimal levels of fitness. An evaluation of lifestyle showed that officers are likely to eat fruits and vegetables and have high intentions to exercise, yet have poor sleep quality, poor hydration, and an unbalanced lifestyle. The obstacles to regular fitness activity were found to be hectic work schedules, a lack of fitness training centers, and limited access to nutritional education. Organized fitness and wellness programs focused on sustainable conditioning, healthy nutrition, and frequent monitoring should be introduced. The proposed programs are HIIT, yoga, and fitness challenges with an incentive package. Infrastructure and time-schedule issues will be critical to the development of a long-term orientation toward health, fitness, and work efficacy among PNP officers in Vigan City.

Keywords: physical fitness, lifestyle practices, health and wellness programs

SDG: SDG 16