Is the average police officer in better or worse shape than the average citizen?

• A. Better
• B. Worse
• C. About the same
• D. Unknown

Answer: (B)

Fitness levels in this context depend on age, lifestyle, and how job demands interact with health. In many studies and common industry observations, officers show higher rates of overweight and cardiometabolic risk compared with the general population. This can be due to factors like long shifts, sedentary periods between calls, stress, and inconsistent exercise routines, even though departments require fitness tests. The daily routine for many officers doesn’t always translate into lifelong high-level fitness, especially as age increases, whereas the general population includes a wide range of activity levels, including many who are very active. Taken together, these factors lead to the conclusion that, on average, police officers are in worse shape than the average citizen. The other options don’t fit because they imply a consistently higher fitness level, roughly equal fitness, or no data—patterns that don’t align with the broader health trends seen in the field.