Fatigue in Air Search and Rescue Missions

NCT ID: NCT06253026

Last Updated: 2024-02-12

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: RECRUITING
• Total Enrollment: 60 participants
• Study Classification: OBSERVATIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2023-05-02
• Study Completion Date: 2024-12-31

Brief Summary

The purpose of this observational study is to understand and evaluate the physiological, psychological, and cognitive impact of 15 consecutive days of air search and rescue mission deployments on Portuguese Air Force crews. The main goals are: 1) Characterize and compare the body composition, cardiorespiratory fitness, and strength levels of air force search and rescue mission crew members with different tasks; 2) Characterize the physiological, psychological and cognitive impacts induced by a single deployment; 3) Identify possible cumulative effects of successive deployments on the variables of interest; 3) Characterize the changes in lifestyle, quality of sleep and nutrition induced by the deployments. The participants will be evaluated after a period of hollidays, before missions, during missions, upon arrival, for a period of twelve months, and at the end of twelve months.

Detailed Description

Fatigue, especially in its mental and physical forms, impacts aviation performance and can result from sleep deprivation, prolonged wakefulness, changes in the circadian cycle and eating patterns, or excessive workload. The Air Force's multidisciplinary teams deployed to complex missions, where physical and mental demands are known to be different between each operational element, face the need for diligence and efficiency to avoid errors that could result in fatal consequences. Physical and mental recovery becomes crucial for optimal performance in missions that require precision, physical robustness and mental acuity. Furthermore, fatigue can have long-term health effects, associated with reduced work capacity and possibly depression and anxiety. Understanding the physiological and psychological impact of each mission highlights the need for corrective and preventative measures to increase success and safety. The objective of the present study is to understand and evaluate the physiological, psychological and cognitive impacts after deployment missions on Portuguese Air Force personnel. Both ground personnel and air search and rescue mission crews will be evaluated after a period of holidays (baseline). During twelve months, when participants are recruited for missions, assessments will occur at three points: pre-mission, during the mission and post-mission. Twelve months after the first assessment (final), all personnel will be evaluated again. Pre-mission assessments will take place during the week prior to departure for the mission. Baseline, final and pre-mission assessments will include anthropometric measurements, assessment of body composition and water compartments, cardiorespiratory, balance and strength tests, cognitive performance, well-being, sleep quality, food intake, psychological tests, and blood biochemical analyses. During the mission, food intake and sleep quality will be monitored. The post-mission assessment that will be carried out upon arrival will only include water compartment assessment, strength tests, cognitive performance, well-being, psychological tests, and blood biochemical analysis. Statistical analysis will be performed using IBM SPSS Statistics software (version 28.0, NY, IBM). Descriptive analyzes will be carried out to characterize the sample. Normality for each variable of interest will be tested with the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. Either the paired t test or the Wilcoxon test will be used to assess the effect of each 15-day mission (pre vs post). ANOVA for repeated measures (2x2) will be used to assess the cumulative effect of the missions (baseline vs final and ground personnel vs air personnel). A statistical significance of α = p<0.05 will be considered.

Conditions

Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic

Study Design

• Observational Model Type: ECOLOGIC_OR_COMMUNITY
• Study Time Perspective: PROSPECTIVE

Study Groups

Air mission personnel

Military crew that goes to air search and rescue missions in groups of five

Search and rescue mission

Intervention Type: OTHER

Air search and rescue missions lasting 15 consecutive days

Control

Ground military personnel

No interventions assigned to this group

Interventions

Search and rescue mission

Air search and rescue missions lasting 15 consecutive days

Intervention Type: OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Air Force Military

For intervention group

• Approved for search and rescue missions by the clinical staff

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

CIDEFES - Universidade Lusofona

UNKNOWN

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Força Aerea Portuguesa

UNKNOWN

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Faculdade de Motricidade Humana

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Responsibility Role: SPONSOR

Locations

Faculty of Human Kinetics

Lisbon, , Portugal

Site Status: RECRUITING

Countries

Portugal

Central Contacts

Cristina Monteiro, PhD

Role: CONTACT

cmonteiro@fmh.ulisboa.pt

00351214149174

Maria João Valamatos, PhD

Role: CONTACT

mjvalamatos@fmh.ulisboa.pt

00351214149174

Facility Contacts

Cristina P Monteiro, PhD

Role: primary

cmonteiro@fmh.ulisboa.pt

00351214149174

Maria João Valamatos, PhD

Role: backup

mjvalamatos@fmh.ulisboa.pt

00351214149174

Other Identifiers

LabFisiolBioqFAP

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id