Health Of Soldiers Research Articles

A review on smart wearable devices for soldier safety during battlefield using WSN technology

In current years, warfare plays a vital role in the nation's security. Army soldiers play an important and major role in combats as well as in providing peace to the nation. Soldiers provide security to the nation; it is important to safeguard their lives with minimum social responsibilities as they are risking their lives in protecting us. To improve their security, advanced devices are equipped with the soldiers to view their status of the health and as well as the live location of the soldier and a lot more. In this paper, it is focused to provide the safety to the soldiers in all aspects by giving the smart wearable's using WSN (Wireless Sensor Network) technology. Smart wearable like a smart vest, smart helmet, and the smart strap is equipped with BSN (Body Sensor Network) to determine the various psychological parameters and mental state of the solider. These smart wearable devices are capable of monitoring the health of soldier and ability to track the live location in real-time, by this if a soldier gets injured in the battlefield within no time the information transmitted to the control unit using LoRaWAN (Long Range Wide Area Networking) and to the nearby soldiers using Zigbee module by forming a Mobile Ad-hoc Network (MANET), so that the control unit can take any necessary actions for saving the life of the soldier.

Особенности предупреждения суицидального поведения лиц, осуществляющих свою профессиональную деятельность в экстремальной среде (на примере американских Вооруженных сил)

The relevance of this work is due to the fact that at present the problem of suicide among persons engaged in their professional activities in an extreme environment, which include the military and law enforcement officials, is of great concern to the public and the leadership, the Armed forces and law enforcement agencies in different countries. Most of the previous studies have shown that suicide among the considered category of persons adversely affects the combat readiness of the unit and may even lead to a negative attitude in General to the service in the army or law enforcement. In this regard, the authors attempted to analyze the positive experience associated with the prevention of suicidal behavior in the US Armed forces. In the course of the research General scientific and special methods were applied, which allowed to draw reasoned conclusions. Studying the positive experience of suicide prevention in American servicemen, the authors came to the conclusion that the military and political leadership of the us Armed forces not only realized the importance of countering suicidal behavior, but also takes the necessary measures to minimize the phenomenon under consideration. The authors also note that currently in the Armed forces and law enforcement agencies should focus on the need for commanders and direct managers of mental health of soldiers and personnel, including to mitigate the effects of combat stress. The practical significance of the study is expressed in the possibility of using in our country the positive foreign experience in the prevention of mental disorders and suicidal behavior among specialists of dangerous professions. Due to the urgent need to reduce the psychotraumatic impact of negative factors on the group under consideration.

FEATURES OF FUNCTIONING OF THE IMMUNE SYSTEM UNDER STRESS

The psychobiological essence of stress is to reprogram the resources of the human body for survival in extreme life-threatening conditions. The study of the activity of the main homeostatic systems in acute and prolonged adaptive reactions in soldiers is of great scientific and practical interest. The immune status was assessed in 42 military officers who participated in special operations for the first time. Not only quantitative, but also structural changes of the immune system function in the military-participants of special operations were revealed. The results require further analysis, study and consideration in assessing the health of soldiers.

Functional Movement Screen (FMS™) Scores and Demographics of US Army Pre-Ranger Candidates.

The United States Army Rangers are a unique population whose training requirements are intensive, and physically and mentally demanding. The Functional Movement Screen (FMS) is a movement screening tool designed to assess movement quality and asymmetries in movement with the potential to identify injury risk. This study was a descriptive, cross-sectional investigation examining associations between FMS scores and the various measures of health and performance of active duty soldiers in light infantry units who were involved in the U.S. Army Pre-Ranger Course (PRC). Before the PRC, 491 male soldiers (mean age=24.0±3.8years; mean height=176.6±7.2cm; mean body mass=80.2±9.8kg) completed a questionnaire which included items on self-assessed physical fitness, last Army physical fitness test (APFT) score, tobacco use, and injury history. The soldiers then completed the FMS, which consisted of seven movements and three clearing tests. From the FMS results, a determination of asymmetries (i.e., differences in FMS scores between the right and left side of the body) was made. Differences between groups were analyzed via an independent sample t-test, a one-way analysis of variance, or a chi-square as appropriate. Significance was set at 0.05 a priori. The average composite FMS score was 16.4 (±1.9) points. Soldiers reporting ≥290 APFT points achieved a higher FMS score than those reporting lower APFT scores (16.5±2.0 vs 16.1±2.0 points, P=0.03). Soldiers reporting either tobacco use or a previous musculoskeletal injury had lower FMS scores than those not reporting these (tobacco: 16.1±2.1 vs 16.5±1.8 points, P=0.02; injury: 16.0±2.2 vs 16.6±1.8 points, P<0.01). FMS asymmetries were not related to APFT scores, tobacco use, or self-rated fitness. As self-rated fitness increased so did APFT scores. Active duty soldiers of a light infantry division achieved FMS scores similar to other military populations tested, and the composite FMS score was related to higher APFT scores, absence of tobacco use, and absence of previous musculoskeletal injuries. Improving PRC candidate healthy habits through highlighting the negative associations between poorer fitness, cigarette tobacco use and movement quality, may reduce injury risk and increase PRC completion potential.

Improvement of mental health among Chinese plateau military personnel, 1993-2017: a cross-temporal meta-analysis of the Symptom Checklist-90.

Extreme occupational environments influence the military personnel’s psychological functions. This study aims to investigate Chinese plateau soldiers’ mental health, its changes over time and its correlation with social indicators. A cross-temporal meta-analysis of Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90) was employed to resolve these problems. Forty-six valid data with 23,481 samples at high altitude were screened from 34 journal articles between 1993 and 2017. The mental health of Chinese plateau soldiers showed significant improvement. The eight factor scores of SCL-90 showed a significantly negative correlation with years. The scores of Chinese plateau soldiers presented several peaks in the years 2000, 2008, and 2017, suggesting that the mental health may be influenced by momentous military events. The current-year ratio of defense budget to gross domestic product and divorce rate showed a significant correlation with mental health. The improvement of consumption level index could better explain the improvement of mental health in plateau soldiers. Also, the mental health level of soldiers might affect the 5-year-later consumption level index. The influence of social changes on mental health cannot be neglected. The characteristics of military mental health should be considered when designing the prevention, intervention, and treatment programs, and preparing policies to care military service members.

The Role of Very Low Level Blast Overpressure in Symptomatology.

Blast overpressure exposure has been linked to transient, but measurably deteriorated performance and symptomatologies in law enforcement and military personnel. Overlapping sub-concussive symptomatology associated with the very low level blast overpressures (vLLB) but high sound pressure (<3 psi) associated with these exposures has largely been ignored. Notably, the current vLLB or acoustic literature has focused exclusively on auditory defects, and has not addressed the broader concerns of Soldier health and readiness. This work was prompted by reports of symptomatology such as headache, nausea, slowed reaction time, and balance/hearing complications among personnel undergoing frequent exposures to low overpressure accompanied by high acoustic pressures. To more fully address the consequences associated with low overpressure exposures (<3 psi), a pilot proof-of-concept study was implemented, and data was acquired at two sites on the Fort Benning grenade course range. Findings indicated overpressures ranged from 0.14 to 0.42 psi (0.97–2.89 kPa) at range 1 and 0.22–0.30 psi (1.52–2.07 kPa) on range 2 of the grenade course. Corresponding sound-meter data varied from 153.72 to 163.22 dBP. Headache and long think were the most frequently reported symptoms (3/6 instructors), with lightheadedness, ringing of the ears, restlessness, frustration, and irritability also increasing in 2/6 of the instructors post exposure. Long think (prolonged thinking), ringing of the ears, restlessness, and irritability were the most severe symptoms, with the highest reported post exposure value rating a 3 on the 0–4-point scale. We demonstrate that low-level repeated overpressure exposure can result in transient symptomatology that overlaps with sub-concussive like effects.

The Structural Relationship Among Factors Influencing Mental Health of Military Soldiers

본 연구는 군 장병의 정신건강 영향 요인들 간의 구조적 관계를 살펴보고자 하였으며, 충청권 지역에 소재한 공군 부대 장병들 총 410명을 대상으로 설문을 실시하였다. 본 연구의 결과에 의하면, 첫째, 장병들의 스트레스는 정신건강에 직접적인 부적 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났다. 둘째, 장병들의 스트레스는 정신건강과의 관계에서 매개변인인 자기통제력과 적응유연성을 통하여 직·간접적으로 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났다. 셋째, 스트레스에서 자기통제력으로 가는 경로와 자기통제력에서 적응유연성으로 가는 경로, 스트레스에서 정신건강으로 가는 직접적인 경로에서는 정적 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났다. 끝으로 본 연구는 정신건강을 탐색한 기존의 연구들이 주로 학생이나 일반 기업을 대상으로 환경적 변인들과의 관계 규명에 접근한데 비해 군 조직의 특성을 고려한 장병들의 개인내적 변인들까지 확장하여 이들의 직·간접적 영향력과 구조적 관계를 확인하였다.The purpose of this study was to investigate the structural relationships among influencing mental health of the military soldiers. The subjects of this study were 410 air force soldiers in Chung-cheong region. According to the results of this study, First, it was shown that the stress of the soldiers has a direct negative effect on the mental health of the soldiers. Second, it was shown that the stress of the soldiers is directly or indirectly influenced by self-control and resilience in the relationship with mental health. Third, there was positive impact in the path from stress to self-control, the path from self-control to resilience and the indirect path from stress to mental health. These results are inconsistent with previous studies suggesting that social support has an impact on mental health. However, It was shown that social support has significantly direct impact on mental health through resilience. Finally, Existing studies approached the relationship between the environmental variables for the students and general companies. but this study extended the personal variables of the soldiers considering the characteristics of the military organization, confirming their direct and indirect influence and structural relations.

Soldier Health Care Monitoring and Tracking system using LabVIEW and Zigbee

Soldier Health Care Monitoring and Tracking system using LabVIEW and Zigbee

Protection of the mental health of soldiers as a guarantee of their personal safety

While on duty, soldiers are exposed to severe stress, and mental condition has a direct impact on the efficacy of their performance. The paper shows how the specificity of soldiers’ work affects their mental health. The importance of the role of psychologists in the army is emphasized, and the consequences of negligence in soldiers’ mental care are indicated. The way in which the mental health of soldiers is protected in Poland, by the state itself and by the institutions established for this purpose, is also characterised. Special attention is paid to mental health care for the soldiers that take part in foreign military missions, who are exposed to psychological trauma as a result of isolation from the family and friends, and as a result of being placed in a new cultural and religious environment. On the basis of the above, the necessity of implementing new system solutions to ensure the effective psychological protection of soldiers is indicated.

Catering of coalition soldiers during the deployment on a military operation and the impact on their life satisfaction

Food and catering and its impact on health and life satisfaction of coalition soldiers during their deployment on a military operation in the Middle East area was the aim of...

A prospective field study of U.S. Army trainees to identify the physiological bases and key factors influencing musculoskeletal injuries: a study protocol

BackgroundMusculoskeletal injuries (MSKIs) are common in military trainees and present a considerable threat to occupational fitness, deployability, and overall military readiness. Despite the negative effects of MSKIs on military readiness, comprehensive evaluations of the key known and possible risk factors for MSKIs are lacking. The U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine (ARIEM) is initiating a large-scale research effort, the ARIEM Reduction in Musculoskeletal Injury (ARMI) Study, to better understand the interrelationships among a wide range of potential MSKI risk factors in U.S. Army trainees in order to identify those risk factors that most contribute to MSKI and may be best targeted for effective mitigation strategies.MethodsThis prospective study aims to enroll approximately 4000 (2000 male and 2000 female) U.S. Army trainees undergoing Basic Combat Training (BCT). Comprehensive in-person assessments will be completed at both the beginning and end of BCT. Participants will be asked to complete surveys of personal background information, medical history, physical activity, sleep behaviors, and personality traits. Physical measurements will be performed to assess anthropometrics, tibial microarchitecture and whole body bone mineral density, muscle cross-sectional area, body composition, and muscle function. Blood sampling will be also be conducted to assess musculoskeletal, genetic, and nutritional biomarkers of risk. In addition, participants will complete weekly surveys during BCT that examine MSKI events, lost training time, and discrete risk factors for injury. Participants’ medical records will be tracked for the 2 years following graduation from training to identify MSKI events and related information. Research hypotheses focus on the development of a multivariate prediction model for MSKI.DiscussionResults from this study are expected to inform current understanding of known and potential risk factors for MSKIs that can be incorporated into solutions that optimize Soldier health and enhance military readiness.

Stigma and Acceptance of Sierra Leone’s Child Soldiers: A Prospective Longitudinal Study of Adult Mental Health and Social Functioning

To investigate the associations of war and postconflict factors with mental health among Sierra Leone's former child soldiers as adults. In 2002, we recruited former child soldiers from lists of soldiers (aged 10-17 years) served by Disarmament, Demobilization, Reintegration centers and from a random door-to-door sample in 5 districts of Sierra Leone. In 2004, self-reintegrated child soldiers were recruited in an additional district. At 2016/2017, 323 of the sample of 491 former child soldiers were reassessed. Subjects reported on war exposures and postconflict stigma, family support, community support, anxiety/depression, and posttraumatic stress symptoms. Of the subjects, 72% were male, with a mean age of 28 years. In all, 26% reported killing or injuring others; 67% reported being victims of life-threatening violence; 45% of female subjects and 5% of male subjects reported being raped; and 32% reported death of a parent. In 2016/2017 (wave 4), 47% exceeded the threshold for anxiety/depression, and 28% exceeded the likely posttraumatic stress disorder threshold. Latent class growth analysis yielded 3 trajectory groups based on changes in stigma and family/community acceptance; "Improving Social Integration" (n= 77) fared nearly as well as the "Socially Protected" (n= 213). The "Socially Vulnerable" group (n= 33) had increased risk of anxiety/depression above the clinical threshold and possible PTSD, and were around 3 times more likely to attempt suicide. Former child soldiers had elevated rates of mental health problems. Postconflict risk and protective factors related to outcomes long after the end of conflict. Targeted social inclusion and family interventions could benefit the long-term mental health of former child soldiers.

Camera-based, mobile disease surveillance using Convolutional Neural Networks

Camera-based, mobile disease surveillance using Convolutional Neural Networks

Self-reported mindfulness and soldier health following a combat deployment.

Combat exposure has been linked to health-related challenges associated with postcombat adjustment, including mental health symptoms, behavior-related problems, physical pain, and functional impairment. Mindfulness, or acceptance of the present moment without reactivity or judgment, may be associated with better mental health following a combat deployment. This study examined whether self-reported mindfulness predicted soldier health outcomes over the course of the postdeployment period. U.S. soldiers (n = 627) were surveyed 4 months after a deployment to Afghanistan (T1) and again 3 months later (T2). Mindfulness was assessed using the nonreactivity to inner experience subscale of the Five-Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire. Hierarchical linear regressions examined how mindfulness (T1) moderated the impact of combat exposure (T1) on outcomes at T2. Controlling for rank, the interaction between combat exposure and mindfulness significantly predicted posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, depression symptoms, risk-taking behaviors, pain symptoms, and functional impairment. The interaction term explained 1% to 2% of the variance in these health outcomes. Simple slopes analyses revealed that combat exposure was associated with more PTSD symptoms, depression symptoms, risk-taking behaviors, pain symptoms, and functional impairment when soldiers reported low levels of mindfulness. There was no effect for alcohol misuse, sleep difficulties, or aggressive behaviors. Nonreactivity to inner experience may mitigate the detrimental effects of high-levels of combat exposure on both mental and physical health outcomes. These findings indicate that mindfulness strategies such as nonreactivity may be particularly useful for employees facing potentially traumatic stressors in a high-risk occupational context. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

The Effectiveness of Mindfulness Training on Reducing Aggression and Increasing the Mental Health of Soldiers

The Effectiveness of Mindfulness Training on Reducing Aggression and Increasing the Mental Health of Soldiers

Survey on War Soldiers Health Care Monitoring System Using Machine Learning and IOT

Survey on War Soldiers Health Care Monitoring System Using Machine Learning and IOT

Maximizing the Division Psychiatrist's Garrison Prevention Role to Meet the U.S. Army's 21st Century Readiness Expectations.

The division psychiatrist has been a bedrock U.S. Army institution for nearly 100 years. The role of the position in combat is well established, but its role in garrison has historically been less well defined. Prevention of behavioral health casualties has long been a governing objective of the division psychiatrist and forms the cornerstone of the behavioral health (BH) readiness concept. Accordingly, the Army's increased emphasis on readiness mandates that the division psychiatrist maximize BH force readiness through applied prevention methods. This process begins in garrison, and the crucible of recent protracted conflict has yielded effective BH screening principles applied in that environment. Despite this achievement, an evolving operational environment threatens the blanket effectiveness of BH screening and prevention in garrison. This article examines the historical evolution of the division psychiatrist's role in garrison, elucidates division psychiatry BH readiness principles in garrison, and expands on previously documented division psychiatry led efforts to maximize BH readiness levels. A historical review of the division psychiatrist was conducted in order to analyze the role of the position in BH prevention operations. Identified division psychiatry preventive lessons are leveraged against current BH readiness challenges resulting in proposed solutions from a division psychiatry perspective. The historical trajectory of the division psychiatrist's role in garrison prevention operations has advanced significantly in the last 17 years. With the advent of evidence-based BH readiness findings, the division psychiatrist's garrison readiness duties have expanded to include analysis of unit BH readiness levels. By applying pre-deployment screening principles in new ways to existing BH readiness platforms, the division psychiatrist can analyze BH readiness levels much earlier than immediately prior to deployment. The resultant BH readiness feedback allows for individualized readiness improvements for the BH systems that serve Army units. The division psychiatrist is the natural proponent of such readiness efforts, and will require staff officer, consultant, liaison, and trainer skill sets in order to be successful. The division psychiatrist's role must adapt to a changing operational environment in order to preserve and build on historical successes. The recommended end state would see the division psychiatrist maintaining a robust pre/post-deployment BH screening process and organizing the regular analysis of BH readiness levels to optimize existing BH clinical platforms. Systematically pursued, this would not only maximize BH readiness, but dramatically enhance safety and the provision of resources towards soldier health and welfare across the Army. The division psychiatrist should lead this effort.

Trajectories of body mass index among active-duty U.S. Army soldiers, 2011-2014.

Establishing the shape and determinants of trajectories of body mass index (BMI) among Soldiers is critical given the importance of weight management to military service requirements. To establish the shape and determinants of BMI trajectories among Soldiers, we aimed to (1) model the overall BMI trajectory of Soldiers, (2) find the most common trajectory groups among Soldiers, (3) investigate the relationship between BMI trajectories and sociodemographic and military-specific characteristics, and (4) determine if there were Soldiers with large fluctuations in BMI. The study population included all US Army Soldiers on active-duty between 2011 and 2014 who were age 17–62 (n = 827,126). With longitudinal data from the Stanford Military Data Repository, we used group-based trajectory modeling to identify the BMI trajectories of Soldiers and multinomial logistic regression to estimate associations between Soldier characteristics and trajectory membership. Four distinct BMI trajectory groups were found: increasing, decreasing, constant, and inconstant. The constant, increasing, and decreasing trajectories were similar in shape and percentage between men and women. The constant trajectory had the fewest Soldiers who exceeded weight standards or had duty limitations. The increasing trajectory was associated with marriage and fewer service years. The decreasing trajectory was associated with more service years and higher educational attainment. The inconstant trajectory differed in shape between men and women. Over 6% of men and 12% of women had fluctuations in BMI indicative of weight cycling. Understanding the characteristics associated with BMI trends may assist the Army in targeting resources aimed to improve Soldier health and combat readiness.

The correlative analysis of military medical personnel's character and mental health and treatment

Objective To discuss the character and coping styles of field medical staffs in military condition. Methods Field tests were conducted on 121 soldiers (observation group) from the field medical center participating in the medical service mission-2014 of Beijing military area command by using symptom self-rating scale , eysenck personality questionnaire and simple coping style questionnaire . A total of 130 cases of active medical personnel (control group) in the hospital were randomly selected for investigation, and the test data of the two groups of military medical personnel were compared and analyzed. Results Under military stress such as military exercises, SCL-90, personality characteristics and coping style scores of medical service personnel were significantly higher than those of normal soldiers in the hospital. The differences in somatization, obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety, fear and anxiety, and partial psychosis in SCL-90 were statistically significant(P<0.05). There were statistically significant differences in temperament, extraversion and neuroticism(P<0.05). Among the coping styles, positive coping and negative coping were both lower than those of soldiers in the hospital, and the differences were statistically significant(P<0.05). Person correlation analysis showed that the total mean score of SCL-90 was negatively correlated with positive coping and subjects' tendency to cover up. It is positively correlated with negative coping, psychoticism and neuroticism. Multiple regression analysis showed that the regression coefficients of five factors, including negative coping, positive coping, psychoticism, neuroticism and subjects' tendency to disguise, were statistically significant (P<0.01). Psychoticism and neuroticism were positively correlated with the total mean score of SCL-90, and the tendency of concealment was negatively correlated with the total mean score of SCL-90. Conclusion Under stress conditions such as military exercises, the mental health of soldiers in medical service is closely related to their personality characteristics and processing methods. Key words: Military medical personnel; Military stress; Personality and psychological characteristics; Coping style; Investigation and research

Contribution of Institute of preventive sciences of Z.P. Solovyov of Military Medical Academy to development of military health care

Here you can find information based on documentary data about the establishment and activities of Z.P. Solovyov`s Institute of Preventive Sciences of Military Medical Academy from 1925 to 1928. The institute was organized to develop hygienic thinking on November 21 1925, and became one of the first foundations of the Soviet Union, which provided training for preventive specialists. In the order №216 signed by the chief of the Head Military and sanitary department and the deputy national commissioner of health care Z.P. Solovyov on November 19, 1925, were defined strategic objectives of creation of institute among which: 1) full coherence and improvement of teaching a cycle of sanitary and preventive disciplines according to requirements of army; 2) educate listeners and doctors in accordance with the basic principles of Soviet medicine, which gives the lead to disease prevention. As the building for new institute, the three-storyed obstetric and gynecologic clinic of the academician G.E. Rein at Mikhaylovsky hospital of the baronet Villiye which was a part of Imperial Military Medical Academy has served. Many departments in the academic institute were united, among which three were prophylactic: Department of Microbiology with epidemiology and disinfection course, Departments of General and Military, Social Hygiene. On the example of educational, research and public work of departments of a hygienic profile of institute the contribution of an educational institution as in the system of training of highly qualified specialists in the health sector, and in the system of health protection of the military personnel reveals. It has been established that studying by a staff of departments of a number of questions on a perspective of preservation and promotion of health of soldiers and officers, has an exclusive character in our country.