•  Should any part of the Military Recommended Dietary Allowances be further adjusted for women? Should there be any intervention for active-duty women with respect to food provided, dietary supplementation, or education?
•  What special guidance should be offered with respect to return-to-duty standards and nutrition for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding?

The current body composition and fitness standards of the four service branches (see Appendix B) were examined in light of research exploring the relationships among body composition, fitness, performance, and health. Body composition assessment methodologies used by the military were examined with regard to the demographics of active-duty women and recent advances in assessment technology. In response to one of the major recommendations of the earlier IOM report (1992), fitness and performance testing methods currently in use by municipal police and firefighting services, other government agencies, and the Canadian Forces were explored.

To investigate the implications of meeting the body composition and appearance standards for women, the military weight management programs and dieting practices were examined and compared with civilian programs and practices. The potential health risks of chronic dieting were discussed in light of the high level of performance expected of military personnel. In addition, the subcommittee examined the risk of nutrient inadequacy that may result from women's need to maintain weight while consuming military rations or dining hall meals, assessed the implications of the average military woman's activity level for acquisition of adequate nutrients, and noted areas where further research is needed.

Finally, the impact of current policies regarding the time allotted to women postpartum to comply with body composition standards and pass their fitness tests was discussed with respect to the effect of exercise during pregnancy on pregnancy weight gain and loss, pregnancy outcome, and lactation.

As shown in Table 1-1, nearly 200,000 women serve on active duty in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force today, comprising 12 to 16 percent of the enlisted and officer personnel (data provided by personal communication with DoD contacts in the Defense Manpower Data Center, Rosslyn, Va.). Of the women serving on active duty, 83 percent are in the enlisted corps, 1 percent are warrant officers, and 16 percent are commissioned officers; this age distribution by rank is similar to that for male personnel. Approximately 36 percent of these women serve in the Army, 33 percent in the Air Force, 27 percent in the Navy, and 4 percent in the Marine Corps (Bray et al., 1995).

The age distribution of active-duty women is shown in Table 1-2. While the majority of enlisted women are under the age of 25, the majority of officers are over the age of 25. Because of the much greater representation of enlisted women in the services, however, the vast majority of active-duty women are 25 or younger.

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)