Evaluation of health behaviors of Polish Army soldiers in relation to demographic factors, body weight and type of Armed Forces

Objectives: The aim of this article is to assess the health behaviors of Polish Army soldiers participating in the National Health Programme 2016–2020 in relation to types of armed forces, BMI and selected demographic factors. Material and Methods: Anthropometric and questionnaire data were obtained in a group of 1229 soldiers of the Polish Armed Forces (PAF) from military units from all over Poland. Health behaviors patterns were assessed using the Health Behavior Inventory (HBI), developed by Juczyński. Results: The HBI of PAF soldiers was 79.9±12.68, indicating an average score. Statistically significant differences were found in the HBI values and in the individual categories of health behaviors according to the type of armed forces. The highest scores in each category of health behaviors were obtained by the Air Force (AF) soldiers. The lowest HBI score was obtained by the Land Forces and Territorial Defence Forces soldiers. Soldiers with higher education obtained significantly higher scores in such health categories as proper eating habits, preventive behaviors and health practices, compared to respondents with secondary education. Soldiers residing in cities had statistically significantly higher health behaviors intensities in all categories, compared to village residents. A significantly higher score in all health categories was noted in soldiers with normal body weight compared to those with diagnosed obesity. There was no significant relationship between the age of the respondents and health behaviors. Conclusions: The study found that factors such as type of armed forces, BMI, place of residence and education level were significant for the adoption of health behaviors by PAF. The level of health practices was significantly higher among AF soldiers compared to other types of armed forces. It seems necessary to further disseminate education on pro-health behaviors, especially among soldiers with obesity through participation in organized training and psychodietetic consultations as part of the National Health Programme.