U.S. Army Occupational Physical Assessment Test (OPAT): Attrition and Retention Longitudinal Validation Study (2016-2018)

The primary purpose of the Occupational Physical Assessment Test (OPAT) is to ensure all trainees can meet the physical demands of their intended MOS and reduce the risk of musculoskeletal injury. This study investigated the relationship between performance on the OPAT and attrition/separation from the U.S. Army beginning with the end of Initial Entry Training (IET) and continuing through the first two-year term of service. Between January and December 2016, a total of 1,181 basic trainees (948 men, 233 women) performed the OPAT within the first two weeks of starting IET. From that initial population, 775 trainees (651 men and 124 women) provided additional consent to follow their attrition/retention over the course of their first unit assignment, a 2-year period (2016-2018) from when they commenced IET. The men were training for one of seven physically demanding, combat arms military occupational specialties (MOSs) and the women were from physically demanding, non-combat arms physically demanding MOSs. The OPAT consisted of four events: standing long jump (SLJ), seated power throw (SPT), strength deadlift (SDL), and interval aerobic run (IAR). The overall OPAT score was dependent upon the trainees lowest scored event. 76% of the women and 22% of the men did not pass the OPAT at the Gold PDC (lowest physical demands) level. Alternatively,67% of men and only 2% of the women passed the OPAT at the Black/Heavy PDC level.Attrition data were collected for the two-year period beginning with trainees arrival at IET. Over the course of IET, 15% of the trainees hadattritted. By the end of the first two-yr term of service, nearly 25% of the original sample had attritted and the rates were similar between men(25%) and women (30%).