Prevention of Obesity in Military Communities - Fit4Duty

Obesity is prevalent in military personnel and raises concerns related to health, readiness,
and national defense. Adverse health consequences of obesity place military personnel at risk
for serious medical problems while in the service and upon discharge/retirement.
Additionally, failure to "make weight" may negatively impact one's military career and can
lead to discharge from the service. Early identification of personnel at risk and
implementation of prevention strategies are critical to addressing the problem of overweight
in the military and are essential to maintaining a fit fighting force. The goal of this study
is to test the effectiveness of a dissonance-based, weight-gain prevention program (Fit4Duty)
to prevent excess weight gain among service members at risk for obesity due to a personal
and/or family history of overweight. The Fit4Duty program is an adaptation for the military
of an existing civilian obesity prevention program, Project Health. The program utilizes
dissonance based, participant-driven group counseling to address the excess consumption of
unhealthy foods and sedentary behavior. Active duty service members will be randomized to the
Fit4Duty weight gain prevention program or a Nutrition Education comparison condition.
Participants will complete height, weight, and body composition measurements, and self-report
instruments at baseline, immediately following the prevention program (6-weeks), and one and
two year follow-ups. It is hypothesized that Project Fit4Duty will result in significantly
greater reduction in risk for increases in BMI percentile and percent fat mass, and risk for
onset of overweight and obesity during the 2-year follow-up relative to a nutrition education
control program. If successful, Project Fit4Duty would offer an economical approach for
widespread obesity prevention in the U.S. Military.

Inclusion Criteria:

- Active Duty Service Member

- 18.5 kg/m2 < BMI ≤ 32kg/m2

- At risk for excess weight gain due to personal and/or family history of overweight

- English speaking

- Ability to complete study procedures

Exclusion Criteria:

- Presence of a major, chronic medical illness

- Illness and/or treatment likely to affect appetite or body weight

- Planned deployment/ training during the intervention period (upcoming 2 months)

- Documented or self-reported current pregnancy, current breast-feeding, or recently
pregnant women (within 1 year of delivery). Because pregnancy is a state in which
weight gain is expected and appropriate, pregnant individuals would not be suitable
for this study

- Evidence or signs of suicidal ideation as determined by the research team