Jan E. Redmond

U.S. Army Physical Demands Study: Development of the Occupational Physical Assessment Test for Combat Arms soldiers

OBJECTIVES The United States Army sought to create a legally defensible, scientifically validated physical pre-employment screening test. The purpose of this study was to identify a single combination of predictor tests that would predict physical performance on all of the criterion measure task simulations relevant to the Combat Arms military occupational specialties. DESIGN Concurrent validation. METHODS Data from 838 (608 males, 230 females) soldiers who completed both the criterion measure task simulations of a military occupational specialty and up to 14 predictor tests were used in the development of the test batteries. Stepwise regressions were used to identify test batteries that significantly predicted performance on the criterion measure task simulations of the military occupational specialties. RESULTS Three test batteries were developed based on different subsets of the predictor tests: Test Battery 1 consisted of the medicine ball put, squat lift, beep test, standing long jump, and arm ergometer (adjusted R2=0.80-0.85, p<0.01); Test Battery 2 consisted of the medicine ball put, squat lift, beep test, and standing long jump (adjusted R2=0.79-0.80, p<0.01); and Test Battery 3 consisted of the standing long jump, 1-minute push-ups, 1-minute sit-ups, 300m sprint, and Illinois agility test (adjusted R2=0.55-0.71, p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS Test Battery 2 was selected as the Armys Occupational Physical Assessment Test. It was highly predictive of performance of the Combat Arms military occupational specialties, required no complex equipment, and covered a range of physical fitness domains.

U.S. Army physical demands study: Identification and validation of the physically demanding tasks of combat arms occupations

OBJECTIVES In 2013, the U.S. Army began developing physical tests to predict a recruits ability to perform the critical, physically demanding tasks (CPDTs) of combat arms jobs previously not open to women. The purpose of this paper is to describe the methodology and results of analyses of the accuracy and inclusiveness of the critical physically demanding task list. While the job analysis included seven combat arms jobs, only data from the 19D Cavalry Scout occupation are presented as the process was similar for all seven jobs. DESIGN Job analysis METHODS: As the foundation, senior subject matter experts from each job reviewed materials and reached consensus on the CPDTs and performance standards for each job. The list was reviewed by Army leadership and provided to the researchers. The job analysis consisted of reviewing job and task related documents and field manuals, observing >900 soldiers performing the 32 CPDTs, conducting two focus groups for each job, and analyzing responses to widely distributed job analysis questionnaires. RESULTS Of the 32 CPDTs identified for seven combat jobs, nine were relevant to 19D soldiers. Focus group discussions and job analysis questionnaire results supported the tasks and standards identified by subject matter experts while also identifying additional tasks. CONCLUSIONS The tasks identified by subject matter experts were representative of the physically demanding aspects of the 19D occupation.

Secular Trends in the Physical Fitness of United States Army Infantry Units and Infantry Soldiers, 1976–2015

Introduction The purpose of this investigation was to examine changes over time in the physical fitness of the United States (US) Army infantry. A systematic review was conducted to identify and analyze articles and databases that reported on physical characteristics (height, weight, and body mass index) and/or Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT) scores of male infantrymen or men in infantry units. Materials and Methods The National Library of Medicines PubMed and the Defense Technical Information Center were searched using specific keywords. Reference lists of obtained articles, specific author searches, contact with authors, and secondary analysis of available databases enhanced the search. Studies and databases were selected if they involved infantry soldiers or soldiers in infantry units and provided a quantitative assessment of at least one physical characteristic or APFT measure. Average values for each measure were obtained, plotted by the year of data collection, and fitted to linear regression models. Results Thirty-one articles and five available databases met the review criteria encompassing years 1976-2015. Regression analysis suggested a small temporal increase in height for infantry soldiers (2%) and soldiers in infantry units (1%). Body weight and body mass index increased over the period (9-15%) in both groups. APFT performance of infantry soldiers was generally higher than that of infantry units. There was little change in APFT performance over the period for infantry soldiers. For soldiers in infantry units, push-up performance changed little over time, whereas sit-up performance increased (8%) and two-mile run performance decreased (8%). Conclusion Over the surveyed period, body weight and body mass index increased in US Army infantry soldiers and soldier in infantry units. Infantry soldier performance on the APFT appears to have been maintained over the period. For soldiers in infantry units, there has been a small improvement in sit-up performance, but lower two-mile run performance.

The Relationship Between Soldier Performance on the Two-Mile Run and the 20-m Shuttle Run Test

Background The 20-m shuttle run test (MSRT) is a common field test used to measure aerobic fitness in controlled environments. The U.S. Army currently assesses aerobic fitness with the two-mile run (TMR), but external factors may impact test performance. The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between the Army Physical Fitness Test TMR performance and the MSRT in military personnel. Methods A group of 531 (403 males and 128 females) active duty soldiers (age: 24.0 ± 4.1 years) performed the MSRT in an indoor facility. Heart rate was monitored for the duration of the test. Post-heart rate and age-predicted maximal heart rate were utilized to determine near-maximal performance on the MSRT. The soldiers provided their most recent Army Physical Fitness Test TMR time (min). A Pearson correlation and multiple linear regression analyses were performed to examine the relationship between TMR time (min) and MSRT score (total number of shuttles completed). The study was approved by the Human Use Review Committee at the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Natick, Massachusetts. Findings A significant, negative correlation exists between TMR time and MSRT score (r = -0.75, p < 0.001). Sex and MSRT score significantly predicted TMR time (adjusted R2 = 0.65, standard error of estimate = 0.97, p < 0.001) with a 95% ratio limits of agreement of ±12.6%. The resulting equation is: TMR = 17.736-2.464 × (sex) - 0.050 × (MSRT) - 0.026 × (MSRT × sex) for predicted TMR time. Males equal zero, females equal one, and MSRT score is the total number of shuttles completed. Discussion The MSRT is a strong predictor of the TMR and should be considered as a diagnostic tool when assessing aerobic fitness in active duty soldiers.