Nutrition issues of military women.

Nutritional data were collected from 147 female soldiers in four surveys (two field and two dining hall studies) conducted by the US Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine and Letterman Army Institute of Research. The 49 female soldiers observed in the field studies had suboptimal mean energy (1751 kcal), protein (52.3 g), calcium (620 mg), and iron (11.8 mg) intakes. In addition, 54 female soldiers in the dining hall studies also had lower than desirable mean iron (16.2 mg) intakes. These data suggest that nutritional problems encountered by military women are similar to those faced by their civilian counterparts, based on NHANES II and CSFII reports. Although the impact of sporadic low nutrient intakes during short 10-14-day field training exercises may be of little consequence, this may be significant when inadequate intakes occur routinely or for extended periods during military conflicts. Viable solutions to the nutritional problems of military women could include ration supplementation and nutrition education.