The Use Of A Commercial Performance App As A Virtual Recruiting Management Tool: Health Behaviors And Dietary Intake In Future Sailors

The preparation and retention of future service members are more important than in the past with branches struggling to meet recruitment goals. For the U.S. Navy, all non-prior service recruits enter the Delayed Entry Program (DEP) for a maximum of 365 days before reporting to basic training. During DEP, recruiters can work with these Future Sailors (FS) to improve physical and behavioral readiness for Navy life. PURPOSE: The objectives were to determine if the use of a customizable performance management application, CoachMePlus (CM+), during DEP was practical and linked to improved FS readiness. METHODS: FS recruited from Navy Talent Acquisition Groups (NTAGs) Southwest and Richmond were asked to complete a questionnaire (demographics, nutrition, and behavioral information) and pre-knowledge checks for General Military Training (GMT) and nutrition at baseline. Training was delivered via CM+ in three areas: physical training, GMT, and nutrition. FS could also track dietary intake, physical training, and weight status in CM+. At the end of DEP, FS were asked to complete post-knowledge checks for GMT and nutrition. RESULTS: A total of 515 FS participated in the study with 17% identifying as Asian, 15% as Black or African American, 28% as Hispanic or Latino, 36% as White, and 4% as another race. High school was reported by most (88%) as the highest level of education obtained, and over half were students and/or currently employed. When asked about weight goals and behaviors, 18% of FS reported struggling to maintain a healthy weight with 71% expressing a desire to change their weight status (40% wanted to gain weight, and 31% wanted to lose weight). Only 6% (n = 30) of FS tracked dietary intake via CM+ with most underreporting dietary intake. Based on self-reported tracking, actual dietary intakes were below recommendations for energy (actual = 1480 ± 218 vs. 1600-3600 kcal/d), carbohydrate (actual = 38% vs. 45-65% total kcal/d), and fiber (actual = 11.4 ± 2.4 vs. 25-38 g/d), and above for fat (actual = 44% vs. 20-35% total kcal/d). Improvements in nutrition and GMT scores were realized (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: A performance management app such as CM+ is a simple and viable tool to deliver nutrition and GMT education and monitor progress in FS. Both recruiters and FS need to be engaged to maximize potential.