• Due to the availability of new weaponry and the nature of the new, smaller military that must be ready to deploy at a moment's notice and take all necessary equipment to the field, there is a greater need for "readiness" to incorporate an ongoing approach to physical fitness. The practice of preparing dramatically for a few weeks just before the fitness test is outmoded and inappropriate for the modern military.
• Development and enforcement by the leadership of an ongoing physical fitness program would contribute greatly toward ensuring passage of the body composition and fitness evaluations.
• The present fitness tests should be only a "point-in-time" evaluation of the effectiveness of an ongoing training program, not a goal in itself.
• Attainment of these performance standards, especially under circumstances of deployment when adherence to a fitness program becomes much more of a personal responsibility, requires that personnel spend time outside regular duty hours in training.

In planning the workshop, the BCNH committee recognized that while active-duty women must meet nutrient requirements appropriate to their age, physiological state, and (possibly higher than average) activity level, an additional consideration for these women is the need to comply with weight-for-height and body composition standards. Among the consequences of actions taken to meet these standards might be alterations in nutrient intake that would affect overall health and readiness. Several of the workshop presentations indicated that a significant proportion of military women report dissatisfaction with their current body weight and a desire, as well as attempts, to lose weight. Thus, the survey data discussed at the workshop suggested a high prevalence of behavior aimed at meeting appearance and body weight standards; this behavior might affect overall nutritional status. Of particular concern was the potential impact of altered nutritional status on the menstrual cycle, bone health, and cognitive performance.

A primary concern of the BCNH committee was to identify available data assessing the actual nutritional status of active-duty women in a variety of settings. Several speakers in the introductory session reported the results of surveys of eating practices among active-duty women and men. Hourani (1996) summarized the results of three self-report surveys of nutrition knowledge and eating behavior among active-duty Navy and Marine Corps personnel. The 1990 Health and Nutrition Survey (Trent, 1992) and the Follow-up for Fitness Survey (Trent and Hurtado, 1997) found a strong association between nutrition knowledge and diet score among Navy personnel. POWR'95 surveyed over 10,000 Navy and Marine Corps personnel to assess the Navy's progress toward the goals of Healthy People 2000 (DHHS, 1991). While women scored higher than men on many eating behaviors perceived as positive, such as eating breakfast, taking vitamins, and eating healthier foods, they also scored higher on wanting to lose weight, dieting, taking diet pills, and eating in secret (dieting behaviors are discussed in more detail

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)