The sensitivity of a military-based occupational fitness test of muscular strength.
The risk of low back pain and injury during manual materials handling is increased if personnel are not physically capable of safely performing such tasks. To establish predictive relationships and develop a test cut-score, 69 participants performed a critical military lifting task to a 1.5-m platform (pack lift) and two task-related predictive tests (box lift to 1.5 m and 1.3 m). The pack lift was strongly correlated with both the 1.5-m (R2= 0.85) and 1.3-m box lifts (R2= 0.82). Both tests had similar sensitivity (range 0.85-0.94) with the 1.3-m test having higher specificity when compared with the 1.5-m lift. Increasing the test cut-score with the application of a safety factor increased the number of false positives and true negatives for both tests. Organisations must carefully assess their risk acceptance when applying safety factors to test cut-scores as the classification (pass/fail) of personnel may be affected.
Centre for Human and Applied Physiology, School of Medicine, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia; La Trobe Sport and Exercise Medicine Research Centre, School of Allied Health, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia. Electronic address: k.middleton@latrobe.edu.au.
Kane J
KJ
Middleton
Land Division, Defence Science and Technology Group, Melbourne, Australia.
Greg L
GL
Carstairs
Centre for Human and Applied Physiology, School of Medicine, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia.
Joanne N
JN
Caldwell
Land Division, Defence Science and Technology Group, Melbourne, Australia.
Daniel C
DC
Billing
Land Division, Defence Science and Technology Group, Melbourne, Australia; Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
Ben
B
Beck
D000328:Adult; D001315:Australia; D005080:Exercise Test / Q000379:methods*; D005188:False Negative Reactions; D005189:False Positive Reactions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017770:Lifting; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008889:Military Personnel; D053580:Muscle Strength; D016272:Occupational Health; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014938:Work Capacity Evaluation
Ergonomics; Lifting; Physical employment standards; Specificity; Task-related predictive test