Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40739555›Full record

ArticleObesity (Silver Spring, Md.)2025

Weight Loss Before Basic Combat Training and Musculoskeletal Injuries Among U.S. Army Trainees: The ARMI Study.

Vy T Nguyen, Ashley A Donovan, Kathryn M Taylor, Katelyn Guerriere Aaron, Leila A Walker, Vincent P Pecorelli, David J Zeppetelli, Colleen M Castellani, Susan P Proctor, Julie M Hughes and 1 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Vy T NguyenMilitary Performance Division, U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Natick, Massachusetts, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0006-5961-6987
Ashley A DonovanMilitary Performance Division, U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Natick, Massachusetts, USA.
Kathryn M TaylorMilitary Performance Division, U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Natick, Massachusetts, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7013-1848
Katelyn Guerriere AaronMilitary Performance Division, U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Natick, Massachusetts, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5676-9260
Leila A WalkerMilitary Performance Division, U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Natick, Massachusetts, USA.
Vincent P PecorelliMilitary Performance Division, U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Natick, Massachusetts, USA.
David J ZeppetelliMilitary Performance Division, U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Natick, Massachusetts, USA.
Colleen M CastellaniMilitary Performance Division, U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Natick, Massachusetts, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4158-7349
Susan P ProctorMilitary Performance Division, U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Natick, Massachusetts, USA.
Julie M HughesMilitary Performance Division, U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Natick, Massachusetts, USA.
Stephen A FoulisMilitary Performance Division, U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Natick, Massachusetts, USA.

Funding

U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command's Military Operational Medicine Program 20300
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTo investigate the association between weight loss before joining the U.S. Army and rates of musculoskeletal injury (MSKI) during physically demanding Basic Combat Training (BCT).

methodsSelf-reported weight loss was collected on 3168 Army trainees who were followed through electronic medical records for diagnosis of any and region-specific MSKI. Cox regression models were stratified by sex and COVID-19 pandemic and adjusted for age, height, maximum-ever BMI, race/ethnicity, smoking history, prior physical activity, and history of injury.

resultsA total of 829 trainees (26.16%) reported losing weight to enter the Army with mean (SD) weight loss of 9.06 (8.62) kg, most commonly through exercise (83.72%). Trainees who lost weight to enter the Army had lower rates of any (HR: 0.86; 95% CI: 0.74, 0.99) and lower extremity (HR: 0.84; 95% CI: 0.72, 0.98) MSKI during BCT compared to trainees who did not lose weight. Rate of weight loss (mean [SD]: 1.27 [1.06] kg/week) was not associated with any or region-specific MSKI.

conclusionsResults indicate that losing excess weight before military training may minimize injuries during training and the relatively gradual rate of weight loss in these trainees did not pose a higher risk of injury.

Indexed as

Military PersonnelMusculoskeletal DiseasesMusculoskeletal SystemWeight LossAdultBody Mass IndexCOVID-19ExerciseFemaleHumansMaleSARS-CoV-2Self ReportUnited StatesYoung Adultmilitary trainingmusculoskeletal injuryweight loss

Identifiers

PMID40739555
PMCPMC12477104

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.