Wood Paola S, Grant Catharina C, du Toit Peet J, Fletcher Lizelle
Department of Physiology, Division Biokinetics and Sport Science, University of Pretoria, Sports Centre, South Street, Hatfield, Pretoria 0002, Gauteng, South Africa.
Department of Internal Medicine, Section Sports Medicine, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, Sports Centre, South Street, Hatfield, Pretoria 0002, Gauteng, South Africa.
Mil Med. 2017 Jul;182(7):e1771-e1779. doi: 10.7205/MILMED-D-16-00218.
Mixed gender basic military training (BMT) is adopted to integrate the female South African soldier into the military. This study aimed to assess gender differences before, during (12 weeks), and after a 20-week mixed BMT course and determine if BMT significantly reduced these differences.
A total of 186 soldiers (114 male: mean age = 21.0 ± 1.1 year; 72 female: mean age = 20.5 ± 1.2 year) completed the BMT course and all anthropometric, physical fitness, explosive power, and hand grip strength measurements. Repeated-measures analysis of variance was used to model BMT data with main effects for gender comparison between males and females, and time main effect for evaluation of differences between weeks 1, 12, and 20 of BMT, as well as an interaction effect for differences in changes over time for males and females. Alpha was set at α ≤0.05.
Male soldiers were significantly taller (p < 0.001) and scored better in all measurements at the start of BMT, differences ranged from 1.6% to 50% between genders. Differences narrowed by up to 18.5% in aerobic, push-up, abdominal measurements, and to 4.6% in the South African National Defense Force fitness test. Differences in power output and hand grip strength remained unchanged.
Large initial anthropometrical and physical fitness differences decreased but were still obvious at the end of BMT. BMT should bridge the physical gap between male and female soldiers to ensure they can all perform the same duties. The enforcing of equal minimum physical fitness requirements for acceptance into BMT; conditional acceptance into the military subject to the successful completion of a bridging course aimed at improving physical fitness in individuals who do not meet the minimum physical fitness requirements for acceptance; and developing a cyclic physical training program with different entry points, dependent on initial physical performance at the start of BMT, ensuring adequate progression and overload for all soldiers are possible avenues to explore to achieve this goal.
采用男女混合基本军事训练（BMT）将南非女性士兵纳入军队。本研究旨在评估在为期20周的男女混合BMT课程之前、期间（12周）和之后的性别差异，并确定BMT是否显著缩小了这些差异。
共有186名士兵（114名男性：平均年龄 = 21.0 ± 1.1岁；72名女性：平均年龄 = 20.5 ± 1.2岁）完成了BMT课程以及所有人体测量、体能、爆发力和握力测量。采用重复测量方差分析对BMT数据进行建模，主要效应用于比较男性和女性之间的性别差异，时间主效应用于评估BMT第1周、第12周和第20周之间的差异，以及交互效应用于评估男性和女性随时间变化的差异。显著性水平设定为α≤0.05。
男兵在BMT开始时显著更高（p < 0.001），并且在所有测量中得分更高，性别之间的差异在1.6%至50%之间。在有氧、俯卧撑、腹部测量方面，差异缩小了多达18.5%，在南非国防军体能测试中缩小到4.6%。功率输出和握力的差异保持不变。
最初较大的人体测量和体能差异有所减小，但在BMT结束时仍然明显。BMT应缩小男女士兵之间的体能差距，以确保他们都能履行相同的职责。实施平等的BMT最低体能要求；对于未达到BMT最低体能要求但成功完成旨在提高体能的衔接课程的个人，有条件地接受其入伍；以及根据BMT开始时的初始体能表现制定具有不同起点的循环体能训练计划，确保所有士兵都有足够的进步和负荷，这些都是实现这一目标的可能途径。
