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. 2014:2014:572953.
doi: 10.1155/2014/572953. Epub 2014 Aug 18.

Evaluation of the performance of females as light infantry soldiers

Aharon S Finestone  1 , Charles Milgrom  2 , Ran Yanovich  3 , Rachel Evans  4 , Naama Constantini  2 , Daniel S Moran  5
Affiliations

Evaluation of the performance of females as light infantry soldiers

Aharon S Finestone et al. Biomed Res Int. 2014.

Abstract

A few countries permit women to serve in combat roles, but their long term performance in these positions has not been reported. The incidences of overuse injuries and attrition of 85 male and 235 female recruits in a light infantry brigade was followed in a three-year prospective study. Females were shorter (162 cm, CI 161-163 cm) than males (174 cm, CI 173-176), had more body fat (18.9 kg, CI 18.2-19.6 kg) than males (12.6 kg, 11.3-13.8 kg), had lower [Formula: see text]O2max (36.8 mL·min(-1) ·kg(-1), CI 35.8-37.78 mL·min(-1) ·kg(-1)) than males (50.48 mL·min(-1) ·kg(-1), CI 48.4 to 52.48 mL·min(-1) ·kg(-1)), had more stress fractures (21.0%, 95% CI 16.2-26.5%) than males (2.3%, CI 0.3-8.2%), and had more anterior knee pain (41.2%, CI 34.9-47.7%) than males (24.7%, CI 16.0-35.2%). Three-year attrition was 28% CI 22-34% for females and 37% CI 26-48% for males. The females in this study successfully served as light infantry soldiers. Their lower fitness and high incidence of overuse injuries might impede service as regular infantry soldiers.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Onset of stress fractures (in weeks from starting basic training) for female soldiers by bone. Fractures after 50 weeks were marked at 50.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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