Correlates of Load Carriage Performance Among Women
Abstract
To examine correlates of the speed at which female soldiers carrying loads could cover ground on foot, 12 volunteers (mean-SD: 25.3+/-6 years, 166+/-7 cm, 61.3+/-7 kg) were timed over 3.2 km while carrying loads of 14, 27, and 41 kg Respective course times were 25.7+/-3, 30.7+/-4 and 36.9+/-5 min. which differed significantly (p<0.05) from each other. A correlation analysis with independent variables of body mass, bitrochanteric diameter, hip circumference, shoulder diameter, height, age, relative VO2 max (ml/kg/min), absolute VO2 max (1/min), percent body fat, fat free mass, and self-reported scores on the Army fitness test (pushups, situps and 3.2 km run) revealed that absolute VO2 max and 3.2 km run time were the best predictors of loaded 3.2 km run time for each load. Correlation coefficients for the 14, 27 and 41 kg load course times respectively were -0.64,0.61 and -0.70 for absolute VO2 ax and 0.80, 0.67 and 0.75 for the 3.2 km run fime. For the 14 and 27 kg loads there were no anthropometric measurements that contlated well with run time. However, with the 41 kg load, there were good relationships (p<O.1) between 3.2 km run time and body mass (r=0.59), height (r=0.55). hip circumference (r=0.52) and fat free mass as determined from skin folds (r=0.56). This suggests that larger subjects with greater muscle mass, for whom the 41 kg load represented a smaller percentage of their bodyweight, were able to carry the heaviest load faster than smaller, less muscular subjects.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 01, 2001
- Accession Number
- ADP010988
Entities
People
- Clay E. Pandorf
- Everett A. Harman
- John F. Pattun
- Peter N. Frykman
- Robert P. Mello
Organizations
- United States Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine