Establishing Army Wellness Center Referral Guidelines For Injury Prevention Based on Aerobic Fitness and Body Composition

Poor aerobic fitness and high or low body fat have frequently been identified as significant risk factors for military injuries. In order to systematically utilize Army Wellness Center (AWC) services to reduce Soldier injury risk and enhance readiness, the objective of this work was to establish AWC referral guidelines based on aerobic fitness and body composition. Using results from data-oriented assessments of Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT) 2-mile run times and body mass index (BMI), as well as Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves and sensitivity analyses for the same variables in four Army populations, AWC referral guidelines are recommended for men and women. Men who have an APFT 2-mile run time of less than 15 minutes and a BMI above the age-based Army regulation or a BMI below 19 should be referred to the AWC. Likewise, women who have an APFT 2-mile run time of less than 18 minutes and a BMI above the age-based Army regulation or a BMI below 21 should be referred. Interim referral guidelines that include Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) run times are also recommended.