History Of Vigorous Physical Activity Among Army Recruits And Its Association With Education And Cigarette Smoking

Abstract

Regular participation in moderate and vigorous physical activity promotes the development and maintenance of cardiorespiratory fitness and is an essential component of a healthy lifestyle. Also, in military populations, individuals with a history of lower physical activity have a higher training injury rate. PURPOSE To determine the proportion of young adults enlisting in the U.S. Army who engaged in at least 20 minutes of vigorous physical activity (VPA) at least 3 days per week (d/wk) before entering the Army and to evaluate the associations of education and cigarette smoking with VPA. METHODS New Army recruits (11,051 men and 8,019 women) completed a health risk behavior survey prior to beginning Basic Combat Training at Fort Jackson, SC. VPA, education, and smoking status were self-reported in response to the following questions: “In a typical week, how often did you participate in a sport or physical activity that made you sweat and breath hard for at least 20 minutes?”; “What is the furthest you've gone in school?”; “Have you smoked >100 cigarettes in your entire life?”. Comparisons were made using the Chi-square test. RESULTS Mean age of recruits was 20 ± 4 years. Among men and women, respectively, 8% and 5% were non-high school (HS) graduates and did not have a GED; 10% and 6% had a GED; 74% and 72% were HS graduates; and 9% and 7% were college graduates. 58% and 63% of men and women, respectively, were nonsmokers (<100 cigarettes). With regard to VPA, 12% of men and 19% of women reported 0 d/wk, 31% of men and 32% of women reported 1–2 d/wk, and 57% of men and 49% of women reported ≥3 d/wk (Chi-square: p < 0.01). For education level, the proportions of men and women, respectively, who reported VPA ≥3 d/wk were: 69% and 51% for non-HS graduates without a GED, 46% and 36% for those with a GED, 56% and 49% for HS graduates, and 63% and 62% for college graduates (Chi-square: p < 0.01 for men; p < 0.01 for women). Among non-smokers, 63% of men and 53% of women reported VPA ≥3 d/wk, compared to 49% of men and 42% of women among those who smoked >100 cigarettes (Chi-square: p < 0.01 for men; p < 0.01 for women). CONCLUSIONS A higher proportion of men than women performed VPA ≥3 d/wk before entering the Army. VPA differed by education level for men and women. A higher proportion of non-smokers, among men and women, engaged in VPA ≥3 d/wk.