Soldier Quality of Life Assessment
Abstract
This report documents survey research and modeling of Soldier quality of life (QoL) on contingency base camps by the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center. The purpose of this work, which was conducted in support of the Sustainability/Logistics Basing Science and Technology Objective Demonstration, was to develop a way to quantify QoL for camps housing fewer than 1000 personnel. A discrete choice survey was conducted with 1,227 Soldiers at five Army installations to identify preferences across 84 attributes that characterize contingency base camps, including attributes related to billets, field feeding, field hygiene, MWR, spiritual and psychological support, personal security, and work area. Survey results were analyzed using hierarchical Bayesian logistic regression to develop a quantitative model for estimating QoL based on base camp design. QoL was sensitive both to attributes that impact base camp sustainability (e.g., shower frequency) and attributes with less effect on sustainability (e.g., type of bedding).The data and model discussed in this report represent a new capability for quantifying the link between base camps and Soldier QoL and can support system developers and Army leaders in assessing tradeoffs between QoL and resource demands such as fuel, water, and waste.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 2016
- Accession Number
- AD1017902
Entities
People
- Jason Augustyn
- Justine Federici
Organizations
- United States Army Soldier Systems Center