Researchers from Pennington Biomedical’s Center for Military Performance and Resilience and the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine are teaming up to assess the health and nutritional status of active-duty service members. The Military Health and Nutrition Examination Study, or MHANES, is modeled on the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, or NHANES, which assesses the health and nutritional status of adults and children in the U.S. but excludes active-duty members of the military.
Due to the unique occupational challenges and various stressors faced by active-duty Service Members, the NHANES is not generalizable to this population. MHANES, funded by the Department of Defense, will address this research gap and generate comprehensive and representative data to guide evidence-based screening, education, and intervention strategies to improve health in the military.
“At Pennington Biomedical, we are committed to cutting-edge research in nutrition, performance, sleep and behavior for our military population,” said Dr. Claire Berryman, associate professor at Pennington Biomedical who runs the Nutritional Physiology Lab and is Principal Investigator for MHANES. “We are proud to be leading the Military Health and Nutrition Examination Study in partnership with USARIEM to establish this important baseline of large-scale health data for Service Members.”
The study will gather data on dietary intake, nutritional status, cardiovascular health, body composition, metabolic biomarkers of nutritional state and other health status measures of Army service members. To collect data on a large and diverse sample of service members, researchers are traveling to military locations throughout the country, with the first of these visits taking place at Fort Johnson near Leesville, Louisiana.
With a goal of recruiting 600 volunteers at various Army installations, additional study locations include Fort Campbell in Kentucky, Fort Lewis in Washington, Fort Stewart in Georgia, Fort Drum in New York, Fort Cavazos in Texas, and Fort Carson in Colorado.
“The MHANES study is the latest in Pennington Biomedical’s extensive history of military health and performance research,” said Dr. John Kirwan, Executive Director of Pennington Biomedical. “Once data gathering is complete, our researchers will provide comprehensive and updated information on the health and habits of our nation’s defenders. The data will also serve as a tremendous reference for our researchers who are identifying strategies to enhance readiness, performance, health, and resilience in soldiers.”
To participate in the study, Army soldiers must be 18 years or older, willing to have biological samples stored for future research, and must not be pregnant. Those soldiers who are relocating or plan to get out of the Army within 30 days of the study visit may not participate, nor can those currently in Basic Training or One-Station Unit Training.
Following the initial installation visits, several short and long-term post-visit follow-ups will occur. The first will take place three to 10 days after the first visit and will consist of a phone call to request that participants recall and provide their diet in the preceding 24 hours. At 2, 5, 10 and 15 years, a follow-up questionnaire will be sent to participants who are still on active duty.
MHANES is one of more than 150 military-related studies conducted by Pennington Biomedical Research Center, which has received more than $107 million in research funding from the Department of Defense over the Center’s 35-year history.
About the Pennington Biomedical Research Center
The Pennington Biomedical Research Center is at the forefront of medical discovery as it relates to understanding the triggers of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer and dementia. The Center conducts basic, clinical, and population research, and is a campus of the LSU System. The research enterprise at Pennington Biomedical includes over 530 employees within a network of 44 clinics and research laboratories, and 13 highly specialized core service facilities. Its scientists and physician/scientists are supported by research trainees, lab technicians, nurses, dietitians, and other support personnel. Pennington Biomedical is a state-of-the-art research facility on a 222-acre campus in Baton Rouge. For more information, see www.pbrc.edu.