16,000 military personnel worldwide. In the 1995 survey among all age groups, men were twice as likely as women to report being overweight. Women were more likely to report poor health, however, less likely to engage in regular strenuous physical exercise and less likely to eat two or more meals per day.

Wendy F. Graham (1996) presented the results of the 1995 Perceptions of Wellness and Readiness Assessment (POWR '95), a self-reported questionnaire study of 25,000 Navy and Marine Corps personnel. The goal of the study was to provide baseline anthropometric and strength characteristics and blood pressure.

The most significant finding of this study was that, according to self-report, 46 percent of Navy women exceed the 30 percent body fat standard. Graham (1996) also reported that the largest proportion of women of all ethnic groups exceeding the height and weight standards are in the age ranges of 18 to 24 and 45 to 54. African American women fail to meet the standards more frequently than do other ethnic groups.

Graham (1996) proposed the use of three standards for retention in the Armed Services: (1) appearance, (2) performance, and (3) physical and mental health. As assessment tools, she proposed the use of: (1) a measurement of truncal fat for appearance by measurement of waist-to-hip circumference ratio, (2) the physical assessment test for performance, and (3) BMI for health. In her opinion, this recommendation would account for the available pool of recruits and provide an ethnically equitable standard.

Lisa M. Stolarczyk (1996) presented data on ethnic differences in body composition. She indicated that although the densities of body compartments are based on cadaver analysis and are assumed to be constant (Table A-4), the possibility of inter- and intra-individual variability exists and depends on physiological conditions such as age, gender, diet, physical activity, genetics, and the degree of hydration of fat-free mass (FFM). The major ethnic variation in body composition is due to differences in bone density, skeletal muscle mass, and bone mineral mass

Front Matter (R1-R16)

Executive Summary (1-24)

1 Introduction (25-32)

2 Body Composition (33-60)

3 Physical Fitness Policies and Programs (61-86)

4 Weight Management (87-108)

5 Nutritional Concerns of Military Women (109-126)

6 Pregnancy and Lactation and Postpartum Return-To-Duty Fitness (127-156)

7 Conclusions and Recommendations (157-170)

Appendixes (171-172)

A Workshop Summary, Agenda, Participants, and Abstracts (173-252)

B Practices and Policies Tables (253-262)

C Military Occupational Specialty Classification Tables (263-280)

D Search Strategy for Literature Review (281-284)

E Civilian Inquiry Letter and Table of Responses (285-290)

F Abbreviations (291-294)

G Bibliography (295-334)

H Biographical Sketches (335-338)

Index (339-352)