The importance of leadership in Soldiers' nutritional behaviors: results from the Soldier Fueling Initiative program evaluation.

INTRODUCTION: Improving Soldiers' nutritional habits continues to be a concern of the US Army, especially amidst increasing obesity and high injury rates. This study examines leadership influence on nutritional behaviors within the context of the Soldier Fueling Initiative, a program providing nutrition education and improved dining facility menus to Soldiers in Basic Combat Training (BCT) and Advanced Individual Training (AIT). METHODS: A mixed methods design using surveys (N=486) and focus groups (N=112) was used to collect data at Fort Jackson, SC, and Fort Eustis, VA, in 2011. RESULTS: Survey results showed 75% of Soldiers in BCT believed their drill sergeant was helpful in making performance-enhancing food choices, and 86% agreed their drill sergeant believed it is important to eat for performance. Soldiers in AIT perceived their cadre as less helpful than their BCT drill sergeants and agreed less frequently that the AIT cadre believed it was important to eat for performance (P<.05). These measures of leader influence were significantly associated with nutritional attitudes and behaviors in both BCT and AIT. Focus groups revealed 5 key themes related to cadre influence and nutrition behavior (listed in order of most to least frequent): (1) cadre influence food choices through consequences related to selection, (2) cadre teach Soldiers how to eat, (3) cadre rush Soldiers to eat quickly to return to training, (4) cadre influence choice through example but often do not make healthy choices, and (5) cadre have no influence on food choices. COMMENT: Leaders influence most Soldiers' nutrition practices within the training environment, particularly within BCT. Given that leader influence can impact Soldiers' attitudes and behaviors, it is critical that military leaders become knowledgeable about optimal nutrition practices to disseminate appropriate information to their Soldiers, avoid reprimand associated with trainees' food choices, reinforce key messages associated with nutrition programming, and lead by example in their own food choices.

Nutrition as a component of the performance triad: how healthy eating behaviors contribute to soldier performance and military readiness.

OBJECTIVE: Nutrition is a critical element of Soldier health and performance. Food choices, meal timing, and dietary intake behaviors contribute to nutritional fitness. The objectives of this study were to describe Soldier dietary behaviors and quantify the association between healthy eating behaviors and demographic, lifestyle, and psychosocial factors. METHODS: The Comprehensive Soldier and Family Fitness Global Assessment Tool (GAT) assesses emotional, social, family, and spiritual fitness. In 2012, 57 pilot questions were added to the GAT to create a physical dimension that included nutrition assessments. Participants included 13,858 Active Duty, Reserve, and National Guard Soldiers: 83% male; 85% enlisted; a mean age of 28±9 years. A Healthy Eating Score (HES-5) was calculated from 5 questions assessing frequency of fruit, vegetable, whole grain, dairy, and fish intake (Cronbach α=0.81). Associations between HES-5 and other dietary habits, physical activity patterns, and GAT psychosocial dimension scores were examined. RESULTS: Soldiers who ate breakfast regularly (6 times/week or more), drank 7 servings or more of water/day, and met weekly exercise recommendations were more likely to be in the highest HES-5 quartile than those who did not. Those who passed their Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT) in the top quartile were also more likely to report high HES-5 scores than those who failed (P<.001). Soldiers with healthy anthropometric measures and the highest emotional, social, family, and spiritual fitness scores were also more likely to be in the top HES-5 quartile than those with unhealthy measures and with the lowest fitness scores (P<.001). CONCLUSION: The HES-5 may be a useful index for characterizing dietary intake behaviors. Healthy dietary intake behaviors are associated with all dimensions of health, physical fitness, and psychosocial status.

Resilience training for functioning adults: program description and preliminary findings from a pilot investigation.

It has previously been asserted that the construct of resilience holds great promise for diverse high-risk populations and that resilience may be an attribute that can be acquired through training. A rich body of literature suggests the strengths that comprise resilience. This paper describes a resilience training program based upon the identified strengths of resilience and provides additional preliminary data from a pilot investigation which lend support to the idea that resilience can be acquired through training. Suggestions for future research are provided.