Association of Physical Inactivity, Weight, Smoking, and Prior Injury on Physical Performance in a Military Setting

Abstract

Context: Although inactivity, being overweight, smoking, and a history of injury are identified as risk factors for poor health and injury, few authors have examined their association on physical performance. Young adults may be more likely to adopt healthier lifestyles if they understand the effect of health behaviors on performance.Objective: To determine the association of being overweight, smoking, inactivity, and a history of injury with physical performance.Design: Cross-sectional study.Setting: Military population. Patients or Other Participants: Active-duty service members (N ¼ 1466; 1380 men, 86 women; age ¼ 24.7 6 5.0 years; body mass index ¼ 26.7 6 3.4 kg/m 2 ). Main Outcome Measure(s): Participants performed 8 measures (the triple-crossover hop for distance, the 6-m timed-hop test, the Functional Movement Screen, the Lower Quarter YBalance Test, the Upper Quarter Y-Balance Test, and the 3-event Army Physical Fitness Test) for evaluation of endurance, strength, muscular endurance, power, agility, balance, and motor control. Participants were categorized based on the number of health risk factors present. Using an analysis of covariance, we assessed the relationship between risk factors and physical performance with age and sex as covariates.Results: Compared with those who had no risk factors (27.9% of men, 34.9% of women), physical performance was worse in those who had 1, 2, or 3 to 4 risk factors present by 4.3%, 6.7%, and 10.3%, respectively. Decrements in performance for those with 3 to 4 risk factors ranged from 3.3% to 14.4%.Conclusions: An unhealthy lifestyle habit or a history of injury was negatively associated with physical performance. Physical performance decrements were associated with the number of risk factors present. Understanding how risk factors contribute to decreased physical performance may enable clinicians to improve compliance with injury-prevention programs in occupational settings in which a young and relatively healthy workforce may be more concerned about performance than health.Key Words: functional movement, health, injury prediction, risk factors Key PointsPhysical performance was worse in those with health risk factors; performance was lowest in those with 3 to 4 health risk factors. Risk factors can be responsible for a 10-to 47-point decrease in scores on the Army Physical Fitness Test. Future researchers should determine if strategies focused on improving performance may be more effective in decreasing health risk factors in a relatively young and healthy population. S ubstantial evidence exists that risk factors negatively affect health. Specifically, physical inactivity, being overweight, smoking, and a history of injury have been identified as having negative associations with health.1-4 Less clear is the association between these health risk factors and physical performance. Defining that association is of particular interest to organizations that value both health and physical performance. The US Army, in addition to funding health care for its members, must e...

Identification of Risk Factors Prospectively Associated With Musculoskeletal Injury in a Warrior Athlete Population

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Overweight and Obesity Among The Army Personnel with Low Socio-Economic Status In Kuala Lumpur: A Cross-Sectional Study

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