A comparison of health needs and personal health goals of Army Reserve Military and civilian employees.
Army active and reserve component personnel must be ready for rapid mobilization as world conflicts increase in number and intensity. Department of Defense civilian employees also need to be available to work long hours to maintain troop support. Healthy lifestyles are key to the physical and mental readiness demanded by this kind of work. The purpose of this descriptive study was to assess health and readiness by examining the health needs, identified through health risk appraisals, and personal health goals of military personnel and civilians (N = 90) employed at a large Army Reserve command headquarters located in the southern part of the country. Prominent health needs included reducing the number of saturated fats found in the diets of military personnel and increasing the frequency of exercise for civilian employees. Weight loss constituted the primary personal health goal for 53% of all employees. Initial health promotion activities should incorporate assessment information into the design of command-sponsored programs. Focusing on health needs as well as personal health goals may enhance the early success of such programs.
Wynd
C A
CA
University of Akron, Akron, OH 44325-3701, USA.
Bonnefil
C
C
Harris
J S
JS
D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D005260:Female; D005845:Georgia; D006040:Goals; D006292:Health Priorities; D006293:Health Promotion; D006304:Health Status; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008889:Military Personnel / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D020380:Needs Assessment / Q000458:organization & administration*; D012044:Regression Analysis; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires