INFLUENCE OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY ON MILITARY POLICE OFFICERS’ BURNOUT

ABSTRACT The literature points out that cops are among professionals vulnerable to the burnout syndrome, but there are only few studies that investigate this syndrome and associate it with a coping strategy. The hypothesis of this article is that physical exercise may correlate significantly with burnout, working as a protective element. From this perspective, the present study assessed physical activity levels and the perception of burnout syndrome dimensions in a sample of military police officers in the city of Belo Horizonte. Three instruments were employed for data collection, each one with a specific objective: the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI-HSS), the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), and a sociodemographic questionnaire. Results showed a prevalence of 64% for the burnout syndrome, especially among those individuals classified with low physical education level and those who perform operational roles. It is concluded that variables referring to socio-affective aspects influence the perception of this syndrome, just as sedentarism; by means of the variables that presented statistical significance, it was possible to determine the profile of a sedentary cop vulnerable to burnout, with the finding that physical activity levels associate with burnout indicators.