HRV in Active-Duty Special Forces and Public Order Military Personnel

Heart rate variability (HRV) is a simple, non-invasive, real-time analyzable, and highly reproducible measurement that captures incidences for assessing person’s health physical condition. Public security jobs are characterized by major exposure to risk factors known influence the cardiovascular response stimuli, e.g., night shifts, physically demanding activity, acute stress activity. This study aimed evaluate HRV parameters in population of 112 male personnel special forces public order Carabinieri, aged 25–59, when engaged several duty tasks, such as paratroopers, shift police station officers, patrol, dynamic precision shooting evaluative team, non-evaluative office clerks (used control group). During specific task each participant, were collected with wearable devices processed. The time frequency domains average heart rate, standard deviation all normal RR intervals, root mean square successive differences adjacent normal-to-normal (NN) very-low-frequency power, low-frequency high-frequency index, parasympathetic nervous system activity sympathetic index. Parametric tests independent series compare subgroups within subjects used. A multivariate linear regression analysis was conducted association between some personal organizational factors. comparison different showed activities high demand concentration precision, case paratroopers shooters, differ significantly from can be defined routine, work. Other activities, patrolling or remote management operations centers, although including critical elements, did not deviate group. therefore useful tool occupational physicians, both addressing work suitability assessments better targeting promotion campaigns, considered being at monitoring subject’s physiological parameters, diagnosis any pathological condition, which should always carried out medical specialist.