title: Non-Cognitive Personality Assessment and Risk of Injuries Among Army Trainees.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Low levels of pre-accession physical fitness and activity are risk factors for stress fractures and other overuse musculoskeletal injuries among military trainees. One dimension in the Tailored Adaptive Personality Assessment System (TAPAS), a non-cognitive personality test given to Army applicants, specifically assesses propensity to engage in physical activity. This dimension may serve as a surrogate measure for activity or fitness. The study examines the associations between TAPAS dimension scores and risk of musculoskeletal injuries.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifteen TAPAS dimension scores for 15,082 U.S. Army trainees entering military service in 2010 were provided by the U.S. Army Research Institute for Social and Behavioral Sciences. During 2013-2015, the associations between TAPAS dimension scores (as a continuous variable) and injuries in the first 6 months of service were evaluated using logistic regression, with the measure of association being the OR.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The TAPAS physical conditioning dimension was associated with musculoskeletal injuries and stress fractures among both men (musculoskeletal injury, OR=0.83, 95% CI=0.79, 0.86; stress fracture, OR=0.68, 95% CI=0.57, 0.80) and women (musculoskeletal injury, OR=0.77, 95% CI=0.70, 0.85; stress fracture, OR=0.60, 95% CI=0.43, 082). No other dimensions were both significantly and consistently associated with either injury.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The TAPAS physical conditioning dimension is a strong predictor of musculoskeletal injury and stress fracture among male and female U.S. Army trainees, and may serve as a pre-accession screen for self-reported physical activity.
authors.affiliation: Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, Maryland; ManTech Health, Herndon, Virginia.
authors.forename: Alexis A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Oetting
authors.affiliation: Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, Maryland; ManTech Health, Herndon, Virginia.
authors.forename: Nadia U
authors.initials: NU
authors.lastname: Garvin
authors.affiliation: Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, Maryland.
authors.forename: Michael R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Boivin
authors.affiliation: Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, Maryland; ManTech Health, Herndon, Virginia. Electronic address: david.n.cowan.ctr@mail.mil.
authors.forename: David N
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Cowan
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D015775:Fractures, Stress / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008889:Military Personnel / Q000523:psychology*; D009141:Musculoskeletal System / Q000293:injuries; D010552:Personality Assessment; D010809:Physical Fitness / Q000523:psychology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D014481:United States; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D055815:Young Adult