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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Boston, Massachusetts » Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #307396
Title: Pilot Study to determine interest of adult civilian dependants of active duty military personnel in participation in a weight control program

Author
item BUKHARI, ASMA - Us Army Research Institute Of Environmental Medicine
item ROBERTS, SUSAN - Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging At Tufts University
item YOUNG, ANDRES - Us Army Research Institute Of Environmental Medicine
item MCGRAW, SUSAN - Us Army Research Institute Of Environmental Medicine
item DALLAL, GERARD - Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging At Tufts University
item DAS, SAI KRUPA - Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging At Tufts University

Submitted to: Military Medicine
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/6/2013
Publication Date: 3/1/2014
Citation: Bukhari, A., Roberts, S.B., Young, A.J., Mcgraw, S., Dallal, G.E., Das, S. 2014. Pilot Study to determine interest of adult civilian dependants of active duty military personnel in participation in a weight control program. Military Medicine. 179(3):254-259.

Interpretive Summary: The high national prevalence of overweight and obesity is one of the major public health challenges of our time, and there are consequences of excess body weight in active duty military personnel (ADMP), that may specifically impact military readiness. Most ADMP live with families when they are not deployed at work, and the family environment is known to influence the risks of obesity. There is currently no general consensus over how effective weight control can be best achieved in military family members, including ADMP. There have been no published surveys exploring whether adult civilians dependents of ADMP are interested in participating in healthy weight control efforts. We conducted a survey in adult civilian dependents of ADMP to determine their level of interest in participating in a group weight control program. We found that more than two thirds of obese survey participants reported being very likely to participate in a weight control program and more than half of overweight individuals reported being very likely to participate. Overall, 85% of overweight and 100% of obese survey participants reported being likely to participate. There was no significant difference in the level of interest in participating in the weight control program between adult civilian dependents of Enlisted vs. Officer Personnel. These results suggest that adult civilian dependents of ADMP may be very receptive to programmatic health initiatives designed to reduce obesity and the benefits of program participation may potentially apply to both program participants and the ADMP they live with.

Technical Abstract: Adult civilian dependents of active duty military personnel (ADMP) may play a central role in influencing the home food environment and the risk of overweight and obesity in American Warfighters and military families. However, there is no information on whether this group would be receptive to weight control programs. We conducted a survey to determine the level of interest of adult civilian dependents of ADMP in participating in a group weight control program. Subjects were a convenience sample of 191 adult civilian dependents of ADMP (94% women, 6% men) based in Massachusetts and aged 33.8 +/- 8.4 years, body mass index 25.5+/- 5.5 kg/m**2. Overall, there was a significant effect of body mass index on interest in program participation (p = 0.004). Eighty five percent of overweight participants and 100% of obese participants reported being Moderately Likely or Very Likely to participate in a provided weight control program. In overweight and obese survey respondents there was no significant effect of ADMP rank on interest in program participation (p = 0.34). These findings suggest that overweight and obese adult civilian dependents of ADMP may be very receptive targets for programs to control overweight and obesity in military families.