Anthropometrics and Physical Performance in Swedish Home Guard Soldiers

The Home Guard (HG), comprising roughly half of the Swedish Armed Forces, is a volunteer-based reserve force. The HG duties include physically demanding tasks such as marching, digging, lifting, and casualty evacuation. While aerobic fitness is strongly linked to performance in common military tasks, research on the physical fitness and health of reserve forces soldiers is limited. This study aimed to establish reference data on anthropometrics and physical performance among HG personnel and to compare these results with values from the general Swedish population and other military cohorts.

Data were collected during scheduled training sessions between August 2024 and May 2025. Depending on their unit affiliation, participants were divided into either the High-Demand Group (HDG; task force and recon) or the General-Demand Group (GDG; guard, command, and support). The anthropometric measurements included height, body mass, BMI, and waist circumference. Handgrip strength was measured with a handgrip dynamometer. Aerobic capacity was assessed by a 20-m Shuttle Run test, with VO2peak estimated using a military-specific equation. Group differences were analyzed using t-tests and χ2 tests, and multivariate regressions were used to identify significant predictors for physical fitness and examine sex- and age-adjusted differences between groups.

A total of 920 HG soldiers (93% men; mean age 45.3 ± 10.3 years) participated in the study. Over two-thirds were overweight, and 19% were obese, with obesity more prevalent in GDG than in HDG (25% vs. 16%, p < .01). Overall, 78% met the national physical activity recommendations, and 62% engaged in at least 60 minutes of intense exercise per week. HDG soldiers were younger, used less medication, and demonstrated significantly higher aerobic fitness, with a mean VO2peak of 46.6 mL/kg/min compared to 42.6 mL/kg/min among GDG soldiers. Higher BMI, waist circumference, and medication use were negatively associated with VO2peak, whereas intense physical activity for at least 60 minutes per week was a positive predictor of aerobic fitness.

HG soldiers generally showed adequate fitness, although excess body weight was common. Those in high-demand units were younger, fitter, and reported healthier lifestyles than personnel in general-duty units. Aerobic fitness was associated with body composition, medication use, and exercise habits, underscoring the importance of regular intense activity for maintaining operational readiness.