Forging the Force: Advancing Military Medical Education With Lifestyle and Performance Medicine

Force readiness and disease prevention are critical responsibilities for military physicians. The prevalence of chronic noncommunicable diseases such as obesity and type II diabetes has been increasing among active duty service members. The Department of Defense spends over 3 billion dollars annually managing these conditions. Despite known links between lifestyle factors and disease, lifestyle and performance medicine (LPM) is not commonly integrated into medical education. This research aims to assess military medical students' knowledge, perceptions, and preparedness regarding LPM.

An Institutional Review Board (IRB)-approved survey among a select group of medical students participating in the Health Professions Scholarship Program (HPSP) or attending the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS) was performed. The survey was distributed via the Student Association of Military Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons email list and military social media pages. The survey intended to gather student perspectives and preparedness to incorporate LPM into future practice. Demographics data were also collected and statistical analysis was performed using SPSS and R-studio.

Of 107 students across 24 medical institutions, 95% felt LPM was relevant to their careers as military physicians. However, only 45% felt adequately prepared by their institutions, and only 30% felt they gained in-depth experience regarding LPM skills like nutrition and exercise prescriptions in medical school. Notably, 78% thought their medical institutions should dedicate more time to LPM in the medical school curriculum.

Most students in this study do not feel adequately prepared to incorporate LPM interventions and think they would benefit from more LPM training in their medical school curriculum. These results are consistent with previous studies performed among civilian medical students. This study was conducted exclusively among military medical students, many indicated that they feel the principles of LPM are important to force readiness and missions preparedness. However, they also feel that they lack the skills necessary to adequately integrate LPM into their future practice. This study has several limitations. Responses were collected voluntarily in a non-randomized fashion leaving the possibility for selection bias. Additionally, the survey was available for 4 weeks in the summer of 2024. The methods in which the survey was collected makes so an exact response rate cannot be calculated. However, this study offers valuable insight into the demand for LPM education among current military medical students and the implications LPM can have on future force health and deployment readiness.

Our findings underscore an expectation among military medical students to integrate more comprehensive LPM education within military medical training programs. By enhancing LPM education, military medical students may be better prepared to address noncommunicable diseases such as diabetes and obesity. This in turn may have broader implications as it pertains to improved force readiness and health outcomes.