Energy and nutrients intake of Thai active duty army personnel at the Army Special Warfare Command Unit.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To determine the daily energy and nutrient intake of the active duty army personnel at the Army Special Warfare Command (SWC) Unit during home stations. MATERIAL AND METHOD: A cross-sectional survey was carried out at the SWC unit in Lopburi province, Central region of Thailand. One hundred and eight personnel, who were at home stations, volunteered for participation in the present study. Three-day food records were used for evaluating nutrient intakes. Dietary data were analysed using the Nutritionist III programme and expressed as mean and standard deviation. RESULTS: All 108 active duty army personnel were men with the mean age of 37.0 years (SD 7.4). The mean actual energy intake was 2,304 kcal/day (SD 645), which accounted for 109% of Dietary Reference Intake for Thais (DRI). Most mean intakes of vitamins and minerals were above DRI levels, including vitamin A, vitamin B2, niacin, vitamin C, and iron. However, their average intakes of vitamin B1 and calcium were lower. CONCLUSION: The present study demonstrated the undesirable intake patterns which may become significant when intakes occur routinely or extend to longer periods and can adversely affect military readiness as well as health. Further improvements in dietary intake for these personnel are needed.