Date of Award

Summer 8-23-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Food Science

First Advisor

Jennifer Hanson

Abstract

The physical and mental demands of the military and the requirement to maintain body composition standards make healthful eating essential to military service. Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) cadets are a unique subgroup of the United States military, and the combined demands of their military training and educational pursuits may increase their susceptibility to unhealthy eating patterns. The purpose of this study is to describe the relationship between eating habits, eating behavior mediators, body composition, and physical fitness among ROTC cadets. This study used a cross-sectional design that included an online survey, an inperson body composition assessment, and carotenoid measurements via the Veggie Meter. A purposive, convenience sample of ROTC cadets was recruited via word-ofmouth, flyers, a Louisiana Tech campus-wide email, as well as in-person during weekly ROTC meetings on Grambling State University’s campus. The online survey was created using scales from the Military Eating Behavior Survey (MEBS) to measure a) eating habits (i.e., satiety, cravings, hunger, restraint, emotional eating, meal pattern, healthy eating index-7 [HEI-7], general health supplement use, and performance supplement use), b) eating behavior mediators (i.e., perceived stress, sleep habits, concern with military image, agreement with ideal military physique, satisfaction with body shape, military body image) and c) physical fitness (i.e., self-reported physical fitness test scores). The survey was distributed to students via Qualtrics Survey Software. All ROTC members from Louisiana Tech University and Grambling State University who did not have an injury, pacemaker, and who were not pregnant were eligible to participate. Statistical analyses included frequencies and means with standard deviations and Pearson’s correlation analyses. The sample (n = 20) was predominantly male (90%) and between 18-22 years of age (75%). Sixty percent of the cadets were white, non-Hispanic, and 40% were African American or black. Of the cadets, 70% were in the Army ROTC program and 30% were in the Air Force ROTC program. Body composition analyses were completed on 15 cadets. The mean body mass index (BMI) was 24.34 kg/m2 (SD = 2.85), the mean percent body fat was 14.19% (SD = 7.63), and the mean visceral fat area was 45.89 cm2 (SD = 34.37). Carotenoid levels averaged 247.68 units (SD = 67.62). Skeletal muscle mass was strongly correlated with two eating behavior scale scores, food cravings scale scores (r = .66, p < .01) and eating past fullness scores (r = .66, p < .01). Emotional eating was correlated with food craving scale scores (r =.52, p < .05) and strongly correlated with satiety scale scores (r = .64, p < .01). General health supplement scale scores and performance supplement scale scores were correlated with HEI-7 scores (r = .56, p < .05 and r = .57, p < .05, respectively). Correlations between body composition measures and scale scores for hunger, restraint, emotional eating, meal pattern, and HEI-7 were non-significant. Perceived stress was correlated with both percent body fat (r =.57, p < .05) and visceral fat (r =.60, p < .05) as well as with scale scores for sleep habits (r = -.49, p < .05), meal patterns (r = -.57, p < .01), agreement with ideal military physique (r =.55, p < .05), satisfaction with body shape (r =.60, p < .01), and military body image (r =.63, p < .01). Percent body fat and visceral body fat were highly correlated (r = .95, p < .01). Percent body fat was correlated with scale scores for agreement with ideal military physique (r =.54, p < .05), satisfaction with body shape (r =.58, p < .05), and military body image (r =.52, p < .05). There were negative correlation found between percent body fat and total Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) scores (r = -.81, p < .05) and percent body fat and total Air Force Physical Fitness (AFPF) scores (r = -.98, p < .01). Visceral fat was also correlated with both ACFT score (r = -.83, p < .05) and AFPF (r = - .96, p < .01). A positive correlation was found between sleep habits and HEI-7 scores (r =.50, p < .05) as well as between sleep habits and meal pattern scores (r =.63, p = < .05). Among this sample of ROTC cadets, numerous associations were observed among the various measures of eating habits, eating behavior mediators, body composition, and physical fitness. In particular, body composition was associated with physical performance, and perceived stress was related to body composition as well as several mediators of eating behavior. These results suggest that managing mental health and striving for optimal nutrition are essential to supporting body composition and the performance and health of military service members. Although additional research is needed to confirm these results, the present findings suggest the need for future studies to determine the best way to educate and support ROTC cadets to provide a holistic approach to help them achieve and maintain optimal mental and physical health at the start of their military careers.

Download

Share

COinS