Daniel Bok

The Effect of Cigarette Smoking History on Muscular and Cardiorespiratory Endurance

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of cigarette smoking history on physical fitness in younger adults. Small, insignificant differences in BMI between non-smokers and smokers were shown regardless of cigarette smoking history duration. Although the differences in muscular endurance increased in the samples with progressing cigarette smoking history duration, a highly significant difference in aerobic endurance was observed between the group of non-smokers and smokers with a history of smoking up to 5 years and persisted at the same level in smokers with a history of smoking for longer than 10 years.

How reliable are the equations for predicting maximal heart rate values in military personnel

OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to evaluate the validity and reliability of equations for predicting maximal values of heart rate (HR) in military personnel. METHODS Five hundred and nine members of the Croatian Armed Forces (age 29.1 +/- 5.5 years; height 180.1 +/- 6.6 cm; body mass 83.4 +/- 11.3 kg; maximal oxygen uptake [VO2(max)] 49.7 +/- 6.9 mL O2/kg/min) were tested. The graded exercise test with gas exchange measurements was used to determine VO2(max) and maximum HR (HR(max)). The analysis of variance was used to determine the differences between the equations to calculate HR(max). RESULTS The analysis of variance yielded statistically significant differences between seven HR equations (p < 0.05). The values from Stevens Creeks (HR(max) = 205 - [age/2]) and Fox and Haskells (HR(max) = 220 - age) equations had the highest correlation with the HRmax obtained by the graded exercise test. CONCLUSION The authors recommend using the HR(max) values from the Stevens Creek and the Fox and Haskell equations for the purpose of training, testing, and daily exercise routine in military personnel.

Substance use and misuse in the Croatian Army Special Forces: prevalence and influencing factors

ObjectivesIn addition to being a serious health-hazard, substance-use-and-misuse (SUM) in military forces negatively influences physical fitness and army readiness. The aim of this study was to define the prevalence of SUM, which includes cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, and multiple SUM (i.e. practice of daily smoking and harmful alcohol drinking), and factors influencing SUM in the Croatian Special Army Forces (SAF).Materials and MethodsWe studied 73 SAF members. A self-administered validated questionnaire was used to gather socio-demographic and military-profession-related data, and SUM factors. The associations between studied variables were established by the Chi2 test, and forward conditional logistic regression (FCLR).ResultsWith less than 40% of daily smokers, smoking was within expected values. Almost 80% of the examinees reported no binge drinking, while 54% reported harmful drinking according to the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test scale. Paternity and education level were negatively associated with daily smoking, while higher incidence of daily smoking was found for privates and those who practiced harmful drinking (all at p < 0.05). The FCLR demonstrated a higher risk of harmful alcohol consumption for younger commissioned officers (OR for military rank = 5.54, 95% CI: 2.19–13.99; OR for age = 0.85, 95% CI: 0.76–0.95).ConclusionAlthough SUM incidence was not alarming compared to the overall population and the previously reported military data, additional efforts are necessary in order to decrease cigarette consumption. The study showed that protective/risk structure of the substance misuse in the military should be investigated specifically with regard to particular military services, corps, and socio-cultural environment.