Assessment of Nutritional Status and Fatigue among Army Recruits during the Army Common Recruit Training Course. Part B: Psychological and Health Aspects

Abstract

DSTO Researchers conducted a nutritional survey of all food available to recruits at the Army Recruit Training Centre, and recruits from two platoons self-recorded their quality of sleep, symptoms of fatigue and ill health, mood state, level of coping ability, and dietary intake. Injury data were recorded by the Defence Injury Prevention Program. Fasting blood measures of immune status, hormones (serum free testosterone to cortisol ratio), inflammation, and iron status were measured on three occasions. Mean total energy expenditure was estimated by the factorial method. Components of physical fitness (i.e., aerobic endurance, strength and muscular endurance, and explosive power) were measured on three occasions. Height was measured initially and well-hydrated weight was measured on three occasions. The study was conducted in two phases. The recommendations of the first phase, which specifically addressed dietary issues, were presented in Part A of this report. The second phase, which investigated the proposition that recruits might display symptoms of overtraining, is addressed in this report. The authors conclude that there was some evidence for recruits being overtrained. The combined demands of the 45-day Army Common Recruit Training (ACRT) course resulted in a significant prevalence of overtraining symptoms such as fatigue, sleep disturbance, immune suppression, reduced iron status, high rate of minor injuries, and hormonal changes. However, recruits were not pushed so hard that physical performance deteriorated greatly. Accumulated sleep deprivation might be a major contributor to the adverse hormonal changes.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jul 01, 2005
Accession Number
ADA448187

Entities

People

  • Bianka Skiller
  • Chris Forbes-ewan
  • Christine Booth
  • Ross Coad

Organizations

  • Defence Science and Technology Group

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Blood
  • Body Weight
  • Business Administration
  • Cardiovascular Physiological Phenomena
  • Chemistry
  • Health Care
  • Health Services
  • Heart Rate
  • Injury Prevention
  • Joints (Anatomy)
  • Medical Personnel
  • Metabolic Diseases
  • Military Training
  • Physical Fitness
  • Surveys
  • Training
  • Wounds And Injuries

Readers

  • Exercise and Sports Science.
  • Gulf War Illness and Chronic Multisymptom Illness in Veterans.
  • Systems Analysis and Design