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Energy expenditure of military helicopter air crews during combat missions assessed by modified factorial method.
Author(s) -
Tharion William J.,
Yokota Miyo
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.27.1_supplement.854.3
Subject(s) - crew , aeronautics , energy expenditure , timeline , aviation medicine , focus group , psychology , operations management , operations research , engineering , medicine , statistics , mathematics , business , endocrinology , marketing
Purpose To estimate metabolic energy expenditures (EEs) during aviation soldiers’ workday while in Iraq or Afghanistan. Methods Male helicopter crew members ( n = 18) with combat flying experience were studied. Volunteers were age: 35 ± 8 yrs; wt: 87 ± 10 kg; ht: 177 ± 7 cm; combat missions flown: 174 ± 115 missions (χ̄ ± SD). Focus groups of 4 to 7 participants were held and video‐taped. Participants described in detail each activity during their last combat mission. The focus group method allowed participants to confirm or contrast their activities with those of other group members participating in the same or similar missions. Videos were transcribed and a timeline of activities to the nearest minute were generated. EEs were estimated using the factorial method: [Body Wt (kg)] × [Time of Activity (min)] × [Activity Level (MET)], comparing each activity to the closest activity listed in Ainsworth et al.'s (1993, 2000) compendia of physical activities. Results Estimated EE of these aviator soldiers was 3400 ± 1400 kcal during their 13.0 ± 3.5 hr in‐theatre mission. Conclusion This modified post‐hoc factorial method provided useful estimates of EE of soldiers who were not available for study in theater. EEs are used to estimate nutritional requirements and heat strain in these aviator soldiers. Funding for this research was provided by the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command.