Effect of a Kinect-Based Exercise on Improving Job-Related Physical Fitness Tests for Korean Firefighters
OBJECTIVES Firefighters play a critical role in high-temperature environments that demand substantial physical strength for efficient job performance. However, South Korean firefighters face challenges in maintaining optimal fitness levels due to limited opportunities for exercise. Factors that cont...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Asian Society of Kinesiology
2023-07-01
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| Series: | The Asian Journal of Kinesiology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://ajkinesiol.org/upload/pdf/ajk-2023-25-3-30.pdf |
| _version_ | 1797752421171068928 |
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| author | Ji-Been Kim Chae-Been Kim Ying-Ying Xiang Jung-Jun Park Hyun-Joo Kang Wook Song Han-Joon Lee Chung-Gun Lee Yeon-Soon Ahn Dong-Il Seo |
| author_facet | Ji-Been Kim Chae-Been Kim Ying-Ying Xiang Jung-Jun Park Hyun-Joo Kang Wook Song Han-Joon Lee Chung-Gun Lee Yeon-Soon Ahn Dong-Il Seo |
| author_sort | Ji-Been Kim |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | OBJECTIVES Firefighters play a critical role in high-temperature environments that demand substantial physical strength for efficient job performance. However, South Korean firefighters face challenges in maintaining optimal fitness levels due to limited opportunities for exercise. Factors that contribute to this issue include shift work, frequent dispatches, and the absence of exercise instructors. METHODS At total of 20 male Korean firefighters were divided into an exercise group (EG) and a control group (CG) with ten participants each. The EG group underwent an 8-week exercise intervention at a fire academy in Busan using a kinect-based exercise device called Virtual Mate (VM), while the CG group maintained their regular lifestyle without any additional exercise. Pre- and post-assessments were conducted, including the Candidate Physical Ability Test (CPAT), a physical fitness evaluation commonly used for firefighting duties in North America, the Korea Firefighter Performance Battery (KFPB), which is a modified version of CPAT, and basic physical fitness tests. The effect of exercise was analyzed using statistical methods, including repeated measures analysis of variance and paired t-tests. RESULTS Significant group-by-time interactions were observed for CPAT completion time (p = .004) and KFPB completion time (p = .012). After 8 weeks of exercise, the EG demonstrated a significant decrease in CPAT completion time (543.7 ± 93.0 sec vs. 500.8 ± 64.1 sec, p = .004) and KFPB completion time (584.1 ± 47.8 sec vs. 525.3 ± 16.2 sec, p = .001), while the CG did not show significant changes. In terms of basic physical fitness, only in EG, number of sit-ups performed in one minute significantly increased (p < .001) CONCLUSIONS The Kinect-based exercise device, VM, proves to be a valuable solution for addressing the practical challenges faced by Korean firefighters, ultimately enhancing their physical fitness. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T17:03:07Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-97423265a5b34fb58154785f36e38e17 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2586-5595 2586-5552 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T17:03:07Z |
| publishDate | 2023-07-01 |
| publisher | Asian Society of Kinesiology |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Asian Journal of Kinesiology |
| spelling | doaj.art-97423265a5b34fb58154785f36e38e172023-08-07T07:18:31ZengAsian Society of KinesiologyThe Asian Journal of Kinesiology2586-55952586-55522023-07-01253304210.15758/ajk.2023.25.3.30565Effect of a Kinect-Based Exercise on Improving Job-Related Physical Fitness Tests for Korean FirefightersJi-Been Kim0Chae-Been Kim1Ying-Ying Xiang2Jung-Jun Park3Hyun-Joo Kang4Wook Song5Han-Joon Lee6Chung-Gun Lee7Yeon-Soon Ahn8Dong-Il Seo9 Division of Sports Science, Pusan National University, Busan, Republic of Korea Division of Sports Science, Pusan National University, Busan, Republic of Korea Department of Physical Education, College of Education, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju, Republic of Korea Division of Sports Science, Pusan National University, Busan, Republic of Korea Department of Sports Medicine, Soonchunhyang University, Asan, Republic of Korea Department of Physical Education, Institute of Sport Science, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea School of Sport Science, University of Ulsan, Ulsan, Republic of Korea Department of Physical Education, Institute of Sport Science, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea Department of Preventive Medicine and Genomic Cohort Institute, Yonsei Wonju College of Medicine, Yonsei University, Wonju, Republic of Korea Department of Sports Science, Dongguk University, Gyeongju, Republic of KoreaOBJECTIVES Firefighters play a critical role in high-temperature environments that demand substantial physical strength for efficient job performance. However, South Korean firefighters face challenges in maintaining optimal fitness levels due to limited opportunities for exercise. Factors that contribute to this issue include shift work, frequent dispatches, and the absence of exercise instructors. METHODS At total of 20 male Korean firefighters were divided into an exercise group (EG) and a control group (CG) with ten participants each. The EG group underwent an 8-week exercise intervention at a fire academy in Busan using a kinect-based exercise device called Virtual Mate (VM), while the CG group maintained their regular lifestyle without any additional exercise. Pre- and post-assessments were conducted, including the Candidate Physical Ability Test (CPAT), a physical fitness evaluation commonly used for firefighting duties in North America, the Korea Firefighter Performance Battery (KFPB), which is a modified version of CPAT, and basic physical fitness tests. The effect of exercise was analyzed using statistical methods, including repeated measures analysis of variance and paired t-tests. RESULTS Significant group-by-time interactions were observed for CPAT completion time (p = .004) and KFPB completion time (p = .012). After 8 weeks of exercise, the EG demonstrated a significant decrease in CPAT completion time (543.7 ± 93.0 sec vs. 500.8 ± 64.1 sec, p = .004) and KFPB completion time (584.1 ± 47.8 sec vs. 525.3 ± 16.2 sec, p = .001), while the CG did not show significant changes. In terms of basic physical fitness, only in EG, number of sit-ups performed in one minute significantly increased (p < .001) CONCLUSIONS The Kinect-based exercise device, VM, proves to be a valuable solution for addressing the practical challenges faced by Korean firefighters, ultimately enhancing their physical fitness.http://ajkinesiol.org/upload/pdf/ajk-2023-25-3-30.pdfkinect-based exercise devicecandidate physical ability test (cpat)korean firefighter performance battery (kfpb)firefighter |
| spellingShingle | Ji-Been Kim Chae-Been Kim Ying-Ying Xiang Jung-Jun Park Hyun-Joo Kang Wook Song Han-Joon Lee Chung-Gun Lee Yeon-Soon Ahn Dong-Il Seo Effect of a Kinect-Based Exercise on Improving Job-Related Physical Fitness Tests for Korean Firefighters The Asian Journal of Kinesiology kinect-based exercise device candidate physical ability test (cpat) korean firefighter performance battery (kfpb) firefighter |
| title | Effect of a Kinect-Based Exercise on Improving Job-Related Physical Fitness Tests for Korean Firefighters |
| title_full | Effect of a Kinect-Based Exercise on Improving Job-Related Physical Fitness Tests for Korean Firefighters |
| title_fullStr | Effect of a Kinect-Based Exercise on Improving Job-Related Physical Fitness Tests for Korean Firefighters |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effect of a Kinect-Based Exercise on Improving Job-Related Physical Fitness Tests for Korean Firefighters |
| title_short | Effect of a Kinect-Based Exercise on Improving Job-Related Physical Fitness Tests for Korean Firefighters |
| title_sort | effect of a kinect based exercise on improving job related physical fitness tests for korean firefighters |
| topic | kinect-based exercise device candidate physical ability test (cpat) korean firefighter performance battery (kfpb) firefighter |
| url | http://ajkinesiol.org/upload/pdf/ajk-2023-25-3-30.pdf |
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