A comparison of the health risk, health status, self-motivation, psychological symptomatic distress, and physical fitness of overweight and normal-weight soldiers.

The purpose of this study was to analyze the assumptions underlying the Army's Weight Control Program (AWCP) and to determine whether overweight and normal-weight soldiers differed with respect to health risk, health status, self-motivation, psychological symptomatic distress, and physical fitness. The sample consisted of 154 active-duty male and female enlisted Army soldiers assigned to the Maryland and District of Washington area: 77 overweight soldiers and 77 normal-weight soldiers were randomly selected from a gender-stratified, unit-specific list. To test the hypothesis that the two groups would differ, data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA). The hypothesis was supported. The overweight and normal-weight soldiers differed, with the former having greater health risk, lower health status, and lower physical fitness; but the two groups did not differ in self-motivation or psychological symptomatic distress. These results support the concept that obesity is associated with increased morbidity. Further studies are necessary to examine the mechanisms by which endogenous physiological factors contribute to the expression of obesity.

Work-site health promotion: the effects of a goal-setting program on nutrition-related behaviors.

A Goal Attainment Scaling procedure was used to quantify and evaluate change in nutrition-related behaviors of participants in a work-site wellness program. Goal Attainment Scaling is a procedure for quantifying change over time, in five categories varying from "less than expected" success to "more than expected" success. The sample consisted of 60 enlisted military personnel who had indicated, on a screening questionnaire, their desire to improve dietary practices. The subjects were assigned to three groups but remained unaware throughout the study that nutrition was being investigated. The Goal-Setting/Goal Attainment group (GSGA, no. = 19) received a full 8-week health promotion program, based on goal-setting, fitness information, and skill development (12 sessions). The Goal-Setting group (GS, no. = 19) received only the part of the program that focused on setting goals (two sessions). The control group (no. = 22) received no instruction. Results from analysis of variance indicated that GSGA had significantly higher "Change Scores" in nutrition-related behaviors than the control group (p less than .05); "Change Scores" reflect degree of dietary improvement. Frequency data indicate that dietary improvements were sustained for 84% of the GSGA members, 64% of the GS members, and 37% in the control group. These findings suggest goal-setting skills enhance individuals' capabilities for making and maintaining improvements in nutrition-related behaviors.

Establishing a shared vision in your organization. Winning strategies to empower your team members.

Today's health-care climate demands that you manage your human resources more effectively. Meeting the dual challenges of providing more with less requires that you tap the vast hidden resources that reside in every one of your team members. Harnessing these untapped energies requires that all of your employees clearly understand the purpose, direction, and the desired future state of your laboratory. Once this image is widely shared, your team members will know their roles in the organization and the contributions they can make to attaining the organization's vision. This shared vision empowers people and enhances their self-esteem as they recognize they are accomplishing a worthy goal. You can create and install a shared vision in your laboratory by adhering to a five-step process. The result will be a unity of purpose that will release the untapped human resources in your organization so that you can do more with less.

The Army Weight Control Program: a comprehensive mandated approach to weight control.

The Army Weight Control Program is a comprehensive, multidisciplinary, and mandated approach to weight control, designed to assist, educate, and motivate overweight individuals to reach their ideal body weight. The program objective is to ensure that Army personnel are able to meet the physical demands of their duties under combat conditions and is based on the assumption that the individual is ultimately responsible for exhibiting high standards of professional appearance. The history and the program philosophy are described. The Army Weight Control Program utilizes height-weight tables as an initial screen, followed by skinfold measurements, to identify overweight soldiers. Individuals who exceed established age and sex adjusted body fat standards (20% to 26% for men and 28% to 34% for women) and who do not have a pathological cause for their obesity are enrolled in the mandatory Army Weight Control Program. Entry into the program results in the withholding of favorable personnel actions. Noncompliance with established monthly weight-loss goals for a period of 6 months may result in separation from the Army. The rationale for the procedures and the methodologies of the program are reviewed and discussed. It is concluded that studies are required to evaluate the effectiveness of mandatory weight-control programs.

Effectiveness of a computer-assisted instruction program for teaching sanitation.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether computer-assisted instruction (CAI) is as effective as the lecture method of instruction (LMI) for teaching sanitation to hospital foodservice employees. Two dependent variables--gain in sanitation knowledge and amount of time required to complete the training experience--and three independent variables--treatment, age, and level of education--were examined for each treatment group. Attitude toward sanitation training and CAI was appraised for the groups prior to training and for the CAI group after training. A sanitation knowledge instrument was administered as a pre- and post-test, and a Likert-type attitude assessment questionnaire was utilized to provide an indication of participants' attitude toward sanitation training and CAI. Findings indicated that significantly more training time (97 vs. 32 minutes) was required by the CAI group than by the LMI group. Participants younger than 25 attained significantly higher gain scores (X = 11 vs. X = 10) with CAI than with LMI. Gain scores for other age categories tended to be higher for individuals taught by CAI; however, they were not significantly different from the scores of those taught by LMI. CAI group members demonstrated an improved attitude toward CAI and sanitation training. It was concluded that the CAI and LMI methods were equally effective for teaching sanitation for most of the employees who participated in the study.

The entry-level generalist dietitian: I. Employer's general opinions of the adequacy of educational preparation in administration.

Data were collected from 350 hospital food service directors regarding their general perceptions of the adequacy of preparation in administration provided in the internship (I), coordinated undergraduate (C), traineeship (T), and advanced degree (A) programs. Most employers (93 percent) said that they believed that the educational preparation varied in the four routes. Differences among the routes were highly significant for the measures theoretical, practical, and overall preparation. The direction of the proportions for these measures was A greater than I greater than C greater than T, I greater than T greater than C greater than A, and I much greater than C greater than T greater than A, respectively. Significant differences were observed for the employers' hiring preferences (I greater than greater than T greater than A approximately C) and their opinions about the least amount of on-the-job training required (I much greater than T greater than C approximately A). Findings also indicated that a significant majority (76 percent) would not vary the starting salary of the entry-level dietitian regardless of the route of attainment.

The entry-level generalist dietitian: II. Employers' perceptions of the adequacy of preparation for specific administrative competencies.

Data were obtained from 269 employers of entry-level dietitians regarding their specific perceptions of the importance and adequacy of preparation for 69 administrative competencies provided in internship (I), coordinated undergraduate (C), traineeship (T), and advanced degree (A) programs. Sixty-three competencies were rated as important for entry-level performance. Preparation ratings indicated that 41, 55, 81, and 96 percent of all competencies were rated as inadequate or somewhat adequate for the routes I, T, A, and C, respectively. Differences among the routes for mean adequacy ratings across all competencies were highly significant. The direction of the mean ratings was I greater than T greater than A greater than C. Differences between specific routes for mean adequacy ratings across all competencies were highly significant for I greater than C, I greater than T, I greater than A and T greater than C, but not for T greater than A and A greater than C.