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.