An Examination Of Modifiable Lifestyle Behaviors And Fitness In ROTC Cadets

The U.S. Army's Holistic Health and Fitness (H2F) program represents a significant paradigm shift in the assessment of soldiers' health and operational readiness, moving away from fitness testing as the main indicator. This shift acknowledges that sub-optimal modifiable lifestyle behaviors (mLB), particularly physical activity (PA), diet, and sleep, are vital for overall well-being. Since the implementation of the H2F program there exists limited research to evaluate the efficacy of the holistic framework. PURPOSE: To examine mLB and fitness of Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) cadets. METHODS: Eighty-four ROTC cadets (63 male) took an online survey consisting of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Rapid Eating Assessment for Participants short form (REAPs), and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). Fitness was assessed via the Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT). Descriptive statistics were calculated and reported as median (interquartile range). Spearman correlation coefficients were calculated for mLB and ACFT scores, with alpha level set at 0.05. RESULTS: Cadets’ PSQI scores were 6.0 (4.0, 7.0) with 56 cadets reporting poor sleep (PSQI score ≥ 5). REAPs score were 29.0 (26.0, 31.0) with 8 cadets reporting poor dietary habits (REAPs flags≥5). Cadets self-reported PA (min/week) was 90 (66,120) and 70 (60,120) of moderate and vigorous PA, respectively, with 1680 (900,2400) mins/week of sitting time. ACFT total scores were 502 ([469,545]; 82 passed). There were no significant correlations between mLB and ACFT total scores. CONCLUSIONS: The lack of correlation between mLB and ACFT scores was unexpected but supports the H2F framework not solely relying on fitness testing to evaluate health and well-being. Due to prevalent poor sleep among cadets, interventions are recommended, as sub-optimal sleep may cause impaired performance and chronic health issues. Limitations of the present study are the utilization of self-reported mLB and ROTC cadets are full-time students and as a result findings should not be generalized to active-duty military populations. Thus future research should explore the H2F framework in active-duty military populations.