Survey On Physical Condition And Dietary Nutrition Of Recruits On The Plateau

ObjectiveGolmud is an important area in western development strategy of China’s economicand social development, and has special strategic significance in the military. Hypoxia,cold and other environmental factors on the plateau can seriously affect the health ofsoldiers and their combat effectiveness.They are the important factors to restrict thecombat capability.Nutrition research and effective nutrition improvement measures havevery important military significance to improve the combat effectiveness of the army inPlateau.This study investigated the physique status, nutrition knowledge and dietarystatus of90new recruits in Golmud Air Force Base and analyzed the dietary factors onphysical training capacity of recruits.The study can provide a scientific guidetoreasonable diet for plateau forces, and high altitude training for new recruits, and thusensure new recruits,faster and better adaptation to high altitude, improve the combateffectiveness and complete the tasks of the army. MethodsPhysical examination was taken to investigate the recruits’ heart rate blood pressure,waistline, hip circumference, height and weight, etc.Tests of blood routine wereconducted in the laboratory. Trace elements in hair were analyzed by atomic absorptionspectrophotometer.7d dietary survey was conducted by weighing method, and theresults were calculated according to2002China Food Composition Table, and werecompared with the quantitative (GJB826B-2010) and the Army Soldiers Food NutrientsSupply (GJB826A-1998).Questionnaires were used to investigate recruits’ nutritionknowledge, attitude and behavior.The physical quality was evaluated according to theirtests including the squat-stand,3km cross-country running and pull-ups.The survey wascarried out before recruits’ entering into the plateau, before the training on the plateau,during and after training.The new recruits were divided into two groups according totheir recruiting place, north group and south group with Qinling Mountain-Huaihe Riveras the dividing line.Results1. Host characheristics: There were significant differences of weight, waistline andhip circumference among the three time points of before recruits’ entering into theplateau, before the training on the plateau and after training (P <0.05); There weresignificant differences of hemoglobin and red blood cell number (P <0.05).Hemoglobinand red blood cell number had significant difference(P <0.05).After into the plateautraining before the heart rate in the plateau training after a month two months after thetraining and training three months after five times result comparison, there are significantdifferences (P <0.05); In5times more results blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure ofcomparative differences are significant (P <0.05).In the north and south is new recruits,the plateau before and after the plateau training before, hemoglobin have significantdifference(P <0.05); Into after plateau training before the number of red blood cells,with significant difference(P <0.05); After three months training hemoglobin and redblood cell number was no significant difference(P>0.05); The recruit of heart rate in thenorth plateau before into the plateau training before and after a month after the training less than two months after the south recruits; Blood pressure before into the plateau ofnorth and south was no significant difference(P>0.05); Into the plateau training beforeand after a month after the measured results showed that the systolic pressure anddiastolic blood pressure have significant difference(P <0.05); Training two months later,systolic blood pressure had significant difference(P <0.05); Diastolic blood pressurewith no significant difference(P>0.05); After three months of training, systolic bloodpressure there was no significant difference(P>0.05), Diastolic blood pressure havesignificant difference(P <0.05).2. Dietary survey of food intake:1809.53g per person per day in average,includingcereals,41.91%;vegetables,26.06%.The intake of poultry, eggs and seaweedachieve the military standard The intake of vegetables,legumes and their products, pork,cattle (sheep) meat,fish,vegetable oil and sugar did not meet the supply standard.Proportion of the three major nutrients meet military standard whilethe ratio of qualityprotein was lower than the military standard.Some vitamin intakes did not meet themilitary standard.There was insufficient intake of zinc.There was a significantdifferences of zinc and copper before and after training (P <0.05).There was asignificant difference of copper before going into the high altitude (P <0.05).There wasa significant difference of iron after training (P <0.05).3. Results of nutrition knowledge survey show that most recruits lack comprehensiveunderstanding of nutrition knowledge, with scores of (11.2±2.4).The answers differedgreatly.South group had a better understanding of nutrition knowledge than Northgroup.The difference of nutrition knowledge scores was statistically significant betweenurban and rural recruits (P <0.05).4. The survey of the physical quality showed that recruits passed the military fitnessevaluation test after training.Conclusion1. The main features of the environment of the plateau is hypoxia,which increasesthe number of red blood cells and hemoglobin content and improve the oxygen-carryingblood flow.Thus,tissue oxygenation and body acclimatization were improved to adapt to high altitude hypoxia environment.In altitude training process,all indicators of overallperformance optimization change to adapt to the recovery of hypoxic stress change andadaptation.2. The recruits had an adequate food supply and the intakes of three nutrientcarbohydrates,fats and proteins met the military standards.But there was still a certaingap between the varieties of food and that required by the military standard.High-qualityprotein is in need.Slight variation of vegetables and a lack of animal offal and fruit led tosome vitamin and mineral deficiencies.3. Recruits passed the military fitness evaluation test after training, which is partlydue to our scientific and reasonable arrangements in physical training as well as theproper time of test when acute altitude sickness symptoms gradually reduce or disappear.In addition,during training process, recruits had a more reasonable diet and three heatnutrients meet military standards,which met the adaptive regulation of metabolism of thebody under stress.