Epidemiological Factors Associated with Increased Body Mass Index in Active Duty Military Engaged in Vigorous Physical Activity
Abstract
The focus of this descriptive-comparative study is to investigate the epidemiologic factors associated with increased body mass index in active duty military engaged invigorous physical activity. These factors will be framed using the traditional Epidemiological Triad, composed of the host, the agent, and the environment. The associated variables are age, gender, branch of service, race and body mass index (the host), vigorous exercise, fast food intake, and fruits/vegetable intake (the agent), and mandatory fitness standards, deployment readiness, and access to care (the environment). Despite high rates of self-reported vigorous exercise, the military is far from meeting the Healthy People 2010 Healthy Weight objective. The research questions will be answered through secondary analysis, using data obtained from the 2005 Survey of Health Related Behavior among Military Personnel and the 2005 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. The military sample will be compared to the non-military sample to assess for group wise differences and relationships on the variables of interest. Descriptive statistics will be used to describe both samples and the study variables. Parametric and non-parametric statistical tests will be used to examine the relationships between the host variables and the agent variables, between the host variables and the environment variables, and between the agent variables and the environment variables for each data set (based on the Epidemiological Triad Model). Logistic regression will be used in an attempt to build a predictive model of highbody mass index based on the studys variables. It is hoped that examination of this data will provide a better understanding of the environmental factors that impact the military populations body mass index as it relates to vigorous exercise. Understanding this relationship will ensure the optimal health of the military service members and enhance operational readiness of the US fighting forces.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 21, 2008
- Accession Number
- AD1013443
Entities
People
- Julie M. Bosch
Organizations
- Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences