Swiss Army Physical Fitness Training

Not Applicable

Completed

Conditions: Mood (Psychological Function)
Motor Activity
Wounds and Injuries
Motivation
Physical Activity

Interventions: Other: Swiss Army Physical Fitness Training

Registration Number: NCT02570295

Lead Sponsor: Swiss Federal Institute of Sport Magglingen

Brief Summary: The purpose of this study is to determine whether the new sport concept of the Swiss Armed Forces influences the physical and psychological fitness of the recruits.

Detailed Description: The physical and psychological demands in the Swiss Army basic military service are high. Injury incidences in Swiss Army training schools are higher than in armed forces of other countries.There is evidence that progressive loading of physical demands at the beginning of basic military service and specific physical training can reduce injury incidences and attrition rates. A new sport concept by the Swiss Army takes into account these results of previous studies. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the influences of this new sport concept on the physical and psychological fitness as well as on the injury and attrition rates of the recruits.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status: COMPLETED

Sex: All

Target Recruitment: 722

Inclusion Criteria

Recruits of the Swiss Army rescue training schools 75 2/2015 and 3/2015

Exclusion Criteria

None

Study & Design

Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL

Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Swiss Army Physical Fitness Training	Swiss Army Physical Fitness Training	Sport according to the new sport concept ("Swiss Army Physical Fitness Training") of the Swiss Armed Forces

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Number of Participants With Injuries	During the basic military training (18 weeks)	All injuries which are registered in the patient's medical record are collected and classified. A classification system which takes into account anatomical site, circumstances of the accident, and severity of the injury is used.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Questionnaire About Health and Physical Activities	Week 1 of the basic military training and 3 months after finishing the basic military training
Physical Fitness Measured With the Swiss Physical Fitness Test Battery (SPFTB)	Weeks 2, 10 and 16 of the basic military training	Physical Fitness is measured with the Swiss physical fitness test battery (SPFTB). The SPFTB contains a progressive endurance run, a trunk muscle strength test, a standing long jump, a seated shot put, and a one-leg standing test. From the results of those performance tests (0 to 25 points each), a total fitness score is calculated (sum of all points). The minimum total score (worst result) is 0 points, the maximum total score (best result) is 125 points. A detailed description of the SPFTB can be found in the publication of Wyss, Marti, Rossi, Kohler and Mäder (2007).
Attrition Rate	During the whole basic military training (18 weeks)	Withdrawals from the military service are reported by the training school's secretariat
Military Performance According to Military Marks	During the basic military training (18 weeks)	Military marks are given by superior Army personnel. The total score ranges from 1 (insufficient) to 5 (excellent). In total, three marks are given during the whole basic military training (after 7, 11 and 16 weeks). Data from those three time points are combined in a single value (mean).
Psychological Questionnaires	Weeks 2, 10 and 16 of the basic military training	2 questionaires concerning resilience were used: The Resilience Scale 11 (Schumacher, Leppert, Gunzelmann, Strauss \& Brähler, 2005) and the Brief Resilience Scale (Smith, Dalen, Wiggings, Tooley, Christopher \& Bernard, 2008). A mean was calculated for each time point. The total score ranges from 1 (worst result) to 7 (best result).