| Health promotion is the number one health priority of the nation, yet, health promoting behaviors (HPB) are rarely part of the management plan for persons with anterior knee pain (AKP). In an active duty military population, AKP can interfere with performance on the required, semi-annual physical readiness test (PRT). The purpose of this descriptive, comparative study was to compare the relationships among HPB, AKP and performance on the PRT between two groups of active duty Navy shipboard personnel (those with AKP and those without AKP). Pender's (1996) Health Promotion Model (HPM) served as the theoretical framework. Subjects completed demographic and personal fitness questionnaires, the Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile (HPLP II) (S. Walker, 1996), and the Exercise Benefits and Barriers Scales (EBBS) (K. Sechrist,1987). Performance on the PRT and body mass index (BMI) for all subjects were examined. Data were obtained from 192 active duty Navy personnel stationed aboard four southern California based ships. Analysis included descriptive and inferential statistics. Results indicated that, when compared to the AKP group, subjects without AKP: (a) were significantly different in performance of the PRT, (b) were significantly more likely to perform health promoting behaviors, (c) were significantly more likely to perceive the benefits of exercise, (d) had a significantly higher perceived health score, and (e) were more likely to be nonwhite, have less formal education, married and lower in rank. Age, gender, time with diagnosis of AKP, and BMI were predictors of PRT outcome scores. Time and access to exercise equipment were considered very important factors to shipboard personnel. No significant relationship between AKP and performance on the PRT was identified. |
