559th Trainee Health Squadron, JBSA-Lackland, TX 78236, USA.
59th Medical Wing, Science and Technology, JBSA-Lackland, TX 78236, USA.
Mil Med. 2024 Aug 19;189(Suppl 3):93-98. doi: 10.1093/milmed/usae044.
Department of the Air Force basic military training (BMT) is the 7.5-week initial entry training for all enlisting U.S. Air Force and Space Force recruits. Overuse musculoskeletal injuries (MSKI) during training threaten success in BMT, and trainees with nutritional deficiencies are at higher risk. Several efforts are made at BMT to mitigate these issues to help trainees graduate on time, such as the distribution of multivitamins (MVI) to female recruits. However, trainee compliance with the prescribed MVI has been reported to be low, calling into question the effectiveness of this intervention. This study evaluated the effect of briefing modality offered to these trainees at the time of distribution on educational effectiveness, MVI compliance, and injury rates.
This was a randomized controlled cohort study of BMT female trainees. Subjects included all female trainees of a single iteration of BMT concurrently completing training within the same squadron. At the outset of training, cohorts were randomly educated in one of two ways regarding the provided MVI. The control cohort (n = 80) was presented with the standard educational video created by BMT-registered dietitians, while the test cohort (n = 79) was presented the video and then also briefed in-person by a group of subject matter experts. At the end of BMT, the trainees completed a questionnaire regarding their knowledge, confidence, and compliance with the MVI. Additionally, a routinely collected training database was queried and analyzed for differences in injuries and training outcomes using the chi-squared test with significance set to α ≤ 0.05.
Although both cohorts found their educational presentation useful, the "in-person" cohort reported significantly higher compliance rates and were found to be diagnosed with MSKI and bone stress injuries at significantly lower rates (43% and 66% relative risk reductions, respectively).
Education to female BMT trainees regarding the MVI, which included a face-to-face discussion with subject matter experts, resulted in greater compliance and reduced incidence of MSKI and bone stress injury, compared to a video prepared by registered dietitians alone. Such educational approaches should continue to be strived for in this and other military population health measures. This study's implication of MVI efficacy for injury risk reduction in female trainees should be further studied, verified, and improved upon in this and other populations.
美国空军基础军事训练（BMT）是所有应征加入美国空军和太空部队的新兵进行的为期 7.5 周的初始入伍训练。训练期间过度使用肌肉骨骼损伤（MSKI）会威胁到 BMT 的成功，营养缺乏的新兵面临更高的风险。BMT 会做出一些努力来减轻这些问题，以帮助新兵按时毕业，例如向女性新兵分发多种维生素（MVI）。然而，据报道，新兵对规定的 MVI 的遵守率很低，这使得这种干预措施的效果受到质疑。本研究评估了在分配 MVI 时向新兵提供的简报方式对教育效果、MVI 遵守率和受伤率的影响。
这是一项对 BMT 女性新兵的随机对照队列研究。研究对象包括在同一中队同时完成同一批 BMT 训练的所有女性新兵。在训练开始时，队列被随机以两种方式之一接受关于所提供 MVI 的教育。对照组（n=80）接受由 BMT 注册营养师制作的标准教育视频，而测试组（n=79）则先观看视频，然后再由一组主题专家进行现场介绍。BMT 结束后，新兵完成了一份关于他们对 MVI 的知识、信心和遵守情况的问卷。此外，还查询了一个常规收集的训练数据库，并使用卡方检验分析了损伤和训练结果的差异，显著性水平设置为α≤0.05。
尽管两个队列都认为他们的教育介绍很有用，但“面对面”队列报告的遵守率明显更高，并且被诊断为 MSKI 和骨应激损伤的比例明显更低（相对风险降低分别为 43%和 66%）。
与仅由注册营养师制作的视频相比，向 BMT 女性新兵提供关于 MVI 的教育，包括与主题专家进行面对面讨论，可提高遵守率，并降低 MSKI 和骨应激损伤的发生率。这种教育方法应该在这方面以及其他军事人群健康措施中继续努力。这项研究表明，MVI 对女性新兵受伤风险的降低效果应该在这方面以及其他人群中进一步研究、验证和改进。
