Perception of lower back pain associated with use of body armor in police officers of the countryside specialized battalion of Ceará, Brazil

INTRODUCTION: The strict demands of the military environment, associated with the increase in violence, as well as the frequent use of body armor, can further aggravate health problems. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the perception of police officers of the Countryside Specialized Police Battalion in relation to comfort, fatigue, and lower back pain, resulting from the use of body armor. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study conducted with 260 male military police officers (34.62 ± 5.83 years old) belonging to the ostensive rural police battalion in the state of Ceará, Brazil. The questionnaire related to comfort, fatigue, and lower back pain was used to identify the perception of pain from the use of body armor, with staggered responses, and the results were analyzed using the SPSS 21.0 software. RESULTS: Regarding the use of body armor, 41.5% of participants perceived it to be little comfortable in general; furthermore, 45 and 47.5% of military police officers considered it little comfortable in relation to weight and use during operational activities, respectively. With regard to body measurements, 48.5% reported being little comfortable, and 70% perceived that the body armor is adjustable to the body. At the end of the work shift, 37.3% complained of lower back pain, and 45.8% felt moderate fatigue. Moreover, 70.1% felt pain in the lower back after the work shift. CONCLUSIONS: Military police officers reported lower back pain at the end and after the work shift due to use of body armor, as well as little comfort of the protective equipment and moderate fatigue at the end of the work shift.