Abstract
Obesity impacts the U.S. military by affecting the health and readiness of active duty service members and their families. Preventing Obesity in Military Communities (POMC) is a comprehensive research program within Patient Centered Medical Homes (PCMHs) in three Military Training Facilities. This paper describes three pilot randomized controlled trials that target critical high risk periods for unhealthy weight gain from birth to young adulthood: (1) pregnancy and early infancy (POMC-Mother-Baby), (2) adolescence (POMC-Adolescent), and (3) the first tour of duty after boot camp (POMC-Early Career). Each study employs a two-group randomized treatment or prevention program with follow up. POMC offers a unique opportunity to bring together research and clinical expertise in obesity prevention to develop state-of-the-art programs within PCMHs in Military Training Facilities. This research builds on existing infrastructure that is expected to have immediate clinical benefits to DoD and far-reaching potential for ongoing collaborative work. POMC may offer an economical approach for widespread obesity prevention, from conception to young adulthood, in the U.S. military as well as in civilian communities.
Highlights
Participants who leave the studies for any reason have their data analyzed by intention-to-treat
Though the population impact of our Preventing Obesity in Military Communities (POMC) model is currently unclear since we have not completed our pilot trials or subsequent larger-scale effectiveness trials, we have found that developing prevention programs in collaboration with specific populations and social systems results in programs that are uniquely tailored to the needs of that population and are far more likely to be disseminated within that system [51]
Given the growing rate of overweight and obesity among active duty personnel and dependents, results from POMC studies have the opportunity to impact a substantial number of people who are at-risk for excess weight gain in the military healthcare system
Summary
More military personnel are overweight than civilians, but obesity rates remain higher among civilians [2]. Compared to civilian children by age and gender, military child dependents have lower rates of overweight and obesity [2]. 2012 rates of overweight and obesity were highest among 12–17 year old male (15.2%, 15.0%) and female (17.1%, 12.4%) dependents [2]. This is concerning since the risk of an overweight child or adolescent becoming obese as an adult increases with age and degree of overweight [5].
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