Assessing Readiness in Military Women The Relationship of Body, Composition, Nutrition, and Health (1998) / Chapter Skim
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Executive Summary
Executive Summary
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Military readiness encompasses optimum health, fitness, and performance. All military personnel are required to adhere to standards of body composition, physical fitness, and appearances that are believed to promote readiness.
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regarding the particular standards and assessment methods used by the Armed Forces, the differences among the branches of service, and the implications for personnel readiness. The purpose of this report, prepared under a grant from the Defense Women's Health Research Program, is to examine whether current standards for body composition, physical fitness, and appearance, and the methods used to assess compliance with those standards, support military readiness by ensuring optimal health and job performance of active-duty servicewomen.
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These included research on optimal physical fitness for military women, injury prevention, and ways to achieve and assess physical fitness, as well as fitness standards, including those for fitness during pregnancy and the postpartum period. In 1995, in light of efforts to consider creation of DoD-wide fitness and body composition standards, calls to ensure that all personnel are physically able to perform their assigned tasks, and evidence suggesting that attempts to adhere to body composition and appearance standards may place active-duty women at special risk for inadequate nutrient intake, the CMNR was asked to appoint a subcommittee to examine issues of body composition, fitness, and appearance standards and their impact on the health, nutritional status, and performance of active-duty military women.
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The BCNH committee drew upon these materials and its collective expertise to respond to the Army's questions and prepare their recommendations. BACKGROUND At the present time, the evaluation of body composition by each branch of the military is performed periodically by a two-step procedure (see Table S-11.
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FINDINGS Although the current weight-for-height tables used by each branch of the military are derived from actuarial tables of mortality and morbidity risk, other estimates of body composition, such as the body mass index (BMI, weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters) , have been shown to predict health risk with greater validity and equal ease; the BMT shows good correlation with total body fat in women of military age.
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. If the circumstances preclude weighing soldiers during the physical fitness test (PET)
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but do not provide an accurate picture of the percentage of personnel out of compliance because administrative separation is an action that is at the discretion of the commander. Studies have shown that a significant percentage of female Army personnel, particularly those in the youngest age groups, fail the Army physical fitness test (for example, the failure rate of women in the 18-21 age group is 36%)
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Evidence also suggests that chronic dieting or frequent crash dieting to comply with weight standards may compromise women's nutritional status and fitness level. It is difficult at this time to ascertain the prevalence of disordered eating (as characterized by behaviors ranging from repeated crash dieting and/or chronic restrained eating to chronic starvation and/or cycles of bingeing and purging)
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What body composition standards best serve military women's health and fitness, with respect to minimum lean body mass, maximum body fat, and site specificity of fat deposition? Are the appearance goals of the military in conflict with military readiness?
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Periodic fitness and body composition testing adjusted appropriately for gender should be conducted to determine both endurance and strength and should be similar across all services. More frequent testing would promote continuous adherence to weight and physical fitness programs and decrease injurious behaviors that result from efforts to pass performance and body composition tests.
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· The BCNH committee recommends that all military women maintain or achieve healthy weight through a continuous exercise and fitness program. If weight loss is a goal, nutrition education and ongoing counseling should be provided for guidance in achieving a healthy, but reduced energy, diet.
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· The BCNH committee acknowledges that childbearing is compatible with a military career when planning and education on effective birth control and counseling on the importance of timing pregnancy in one's military career are provided to all servicemembers. The committee therefore recommends training and education for all supervisory personnel regarding pregnancy policy, as well as a prenatal counseling program for pregnant active-duty women.
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Survey Design and Administration Relevant Data from Previous Surveys of Military Personnel and in Existing DoD Databases Several research projects have been conducted by the services on the health-related behaviors of servicemembers. In addition to the wide variety of demographic and personnel data maintained in the Defense Manpower Data Center database, health outcome data are maintained in several medical cost accounting databases.
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Additional Data Needed As recommended by an earlier IOM report (1992) , longitudinal studies of people admitted to military weight management or remedial fitness programs should be conducted to determine the outcome of these programs as recommended changes in program procedures are implemented.
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Pp. 57-70 in Body Composition and Physical Performance, Applications for the Military Services, B.M.
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1992. Body Composition and Physical Performance, Applications for the Military Services, B.M.
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Pp. 89-103 in Body Composition and Physical Performance, Applications for the Military Services, B.M.
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