EVALUATION OF THE BODY COMPOSITION AND NUTRITIONAL BEHAVIOR OF THE BRAZILIAN NAVY MILITARY PERSONNEL DURATION A LONG-DURATION MISSION.

Abstract

Any study that evaluates aspects related to military personnel’s quality of life must consider confinement and social distancing notions on ships and on land. Due to the stressful conditions common in military activity, which are heightened in situations of confinement, and the risk inherent to long-term naval missions, nutritional choices are of great importance in the performance and general health status of military personnel on board. Considering the relevance of this subject, this study evaluated the body composition (using a bioimpedance scale) and nutritional behavior (using food frequency questionnaires) of 61 Brazilian Navy soldiers (healthy men who were aged from 23 to 53 years) during a mission that lasted from March to December 2020 aboard the “Independência” Frigate, a ship that belonged to the Peacekeeping Forces in the Maritime Task Force of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon. Results showed remarkable persistence in the data between initial and final measurements. Participants’ nutritional behavior showed no significant change, suggesting the maintenance of the crew’s dietary well-being and no change in eating habits. Consistently,
soldiers’ body composition of no significant change either. This is the first time that body composition and nutritional parameters of military personnel have been evaluated on board a Brazilian warship.