Health assessment of U.S. Army Rangers

Assess the health behaviors of U.S. Army Rangers, including their diet and physical activity patterns, and their use of alcohol, tobacco, and nutritional supplements.

Army Rangers (N=38) completed selected self-report and food frequency questionnaires, and anthropometric measures (height, weight, circumferences) were taken.

Dietary patterns were collected from questionnaires that asked respondents to report the frequency of usual consumption from a list of foods over a period of 1 year. The data collected indicated a diet high in fat (38.0% of energy) and low in carbohydrates (41.9%). Protein intake (17.9% of energy) was consistent with recommendations for endurance and strength training athletes. Hours engaged in physical activity averaged 12 per week. Overall, 76% of the volunteers reported using alcohol on a regular basis, and 52.6% used some form of tobacco: 50% reported using either snuff or chewing tobacco. The use of supplements was high with 13% taking creatine and ephedrine products on a regular basis.

Although physical activity patterns indicated a high level of activity, dietary and other health behaviors, such as smoking, alcohol use, and patterns of supplement use, suggest that health education programs may be important in this select Army population.