Death among U.S. Air Force basic trainees, 1956 to 1996.

BACKGROUND: Basic military training in the U.S. Air Force exposes recruits to multiple environmental and psychological stressors. Deaths often prompt examination of the training process. METHODS: This retrospective case study evaluates recruit deaths at Lackland Air Force Base between 1956 and 1996 in terms of demographic, clinical, and environmental variables. RESULTS: Eighty-five deaths occurred, with 81% being natural, 13% suicide, 4% accidental, and 2% not classified. Ninety-four percent of recruits who died were male, and 60% were 17 to 19 years of age. The average death rate was 2.8/100,000 recruits. Seven recruits were sickle cell trait (SCT)-positive. The relative risk for nontraumatic deaths between expected SCT-positive and non-SCT-positive populations was 23.53 (confidence interval, 19.55-30.01). Thirty-five percent (30 recruits) died from cardiac causes, resulting in a death rate of 1.0/100,000 trainees. Thirty-three percent (28 recruits) died primarily from infections. Six deaths were due to heat stroke, 11 to suicide, and 3 to accidents. CONCLUSION: As a result of improvements in immunizations, changes in hydration and exercise policies, limited access to vehicles, close supervision, the "buddy system," and the institution of the Navy-Air Force Medical Evaluation Test, only a few deaths occurred in any given year.

Ergometry as a predictor of basic military training success.

One hundred U.S. Air Force recruits were administered the cycle ergometry test to determine their aerobic fitness and timed on a 2-mile run before beginning the physical conditioning phase of training. The estimated oxygen consumption (vO2) was calculated for all trainees completing the ergometry test. The mean estimated vO2 for those successfully completing basic military training (BMT) on schedule was 27.95 +/- 1.74 ml/kg/minute, whereas the mean estimated vO2 for those not completing the program on schedule was 32.94 +/- 3.55 ml/kg/minute (not statistically different). For the 2-mile run, the times ranged from 14 minutes 17 seconds to 29 minutes 11 seconds. The mean run time for those completing BMT on schedule was 22 minutes 28.15 seconds +/- 25.79 seconds, compared to 21 minutes 19.46 seconds +/- 1 minute 26.30 seconds for those not completing the program on schedule (not statistically different). Neither relative risk nor chi-square calculations were statistically significant. No significant associations between run times or a passing cycle ergometry score at the beginning of BMT and successful completion of BMT were found.