title: Physical fitness and depressive symptoms during army basic combat training.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Mental health-related problems are a significant cause of attrition during basic combat training (BCT). Evidence in civilian populations suggests that physical fitness is associated with psychological benefits in civilians, but little is known about the association between physical fitness and psychological adjustment during BCT.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study prospectively examined the association between physical fitness and depressive symptoms in 300 BCT soldiers from May to July 2012 at Fort Jackson, Columbia, SC. Soldiers completed a baseline Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT) and survey within 1 wk of arriving at BCT and an end-of-cycle survey after 8 wk of BCT. Soldiers were assigned to the "high" fitness category if they had a passing score on the standard APFT of greater than or equal to 180 out of 300 points. Soldiers scoring less than 180 points on the APFT were assigned to the "low" fitness category. Depressive symptoms were measured using the 20-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In multivariate analyses, adjusting for baseline demographics, self-reported sleep before BCT, BCT confidence, Army identification, and depressive symptoms, the odds of reporting depressive symptoms were 60% lower for soldiers in the high fitness category (odds ratio, 0.40; 95% confidence interval, 0.19-0.84) compared with soldiers in the low fitness category.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Analogous to other positive outcomes of soldier fitness, improvement of soldier physical fitness before BCT might improve soldiers' psychological health outcomes.
authors.affiliation: 1Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC; 2Department of Human Studies, School of Education, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL; 3Department of Health Services Policy and Management and Institute for Partnerships to Eliminate Health Disparities, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC; 4Department of Psychology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC; 5Research and Development, William Jennings Bryan Dorn VA Medical Center, Columbia, SC; 6Initial Military Training Center of Excellence, Fort Eustis, VA; 7College of Social Work, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC; 8District of Columbia Army National Guard, Washington, DC; and 9Department of Exercise Science, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC.
authors.forename: Shannon K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Crowley
authors.forename: Larrell L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Wilkinson
authors.forename: Lisa T
authors.initials: LT
authors.lastname: Wigfall
authors.forename: Alexandria M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Reynolds
authors.forename: Stephanie T
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Muraca
authors.forename: Saundra H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Glover
authors.forename: Nikki R
authors.initials: NR
authors.lastname: Wooten
authors.forename: Xuemei
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Sui
authors.forename: Michael W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Beets
authors.forename: J Larry
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Durstine
authors.forename: Roger D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Newman-Norlund
authors.forename: Shawn D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Youngstedt
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005080:Exercise Test; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D008889:Military Personnel / Q000523:psychology*; D064797:Physical Conditioning, Human / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology*; D010809:Physical Fitness / Q000523:psychology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult