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Committee on Military Nutrition Research Activity Report 1992-1994 (1994) / Chapter Skim
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The Relationship of Soldier Body Composition to Physical Performance
Pages 9-12

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From page 9...
... The military services differ in their acceptable standards for weight and physical fitness, but obese personnel in any service who do not lose sufficient weight or body fat to meet these standards will be discharged. However, with the increasing diversity of military personnel in terms of gender, ethnicity, and age, the military questioned whether current height-weight standards were appropriate and applied uniformly in recruitment and retention.
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From page 10...
... The report also includes the 12 invited papers presented at the workshop. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS On the basis of the workshop presentations and subsequent discussion by the Committee in executive session, the Committee concluded that the relationship between body composition and physical performance is associated with lean body mass rather than body fat content.
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From page 11...
... that are more accurate than the usual measures based on the use of anthropometric data and formulas developed for populations that may produce significant errors in predicting the body fat for an individual. AREAS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH Given the military's pool of volunteer personnel, the Committee recommended research be conducted to develop service-specific standard tests of performance that reflect military activities; identify the relationship of body composition to military and physical performance among men and women; study the relationship, by race and gender, of body composition and fat distribution for long-term health in career military personnel; and identify the relationship of injuries to bone density and lean body mass.
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From page 12...
... 12 CMNR ACTIVITY REPORT Medical Remedial Enlistment Program data base to evaluate the health status and performance of its overweight recruits and other personnel. In addition, the CMNR also recommended research into the relationship of body composition to emotional and psychological health in military units; for example, the effects on the morale of a unit containing both overweight and underweight individuals.
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Key Terms

  • physical performance
  • body mass
  • composition standards
  • lean body
  • body fat

  • military personnel
  • fat content
  • committee recommended
  • physical tasks
  • anthropometric data

  • current body
  • fat distribution
  • subsequent discussion
  • workshop presentations
  • underwater weighing

  • provides responses
  • services establish
  • produce significant
  • minimum standard
  • male soldiers

  • volunteer personnel
  • military centers
  • female soldiers
  • meet body
  • formulas developed

  • standard unnecessary
  • maximal body
  • standard tests
  • establishing body
  • financial implications


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