Part 2: The Intersection of the US Military and Eating Disorders

Part 2: The Consequences of Body Standards amongst Military Service Members

In part 1, we learned about the existence of military body standards and some consequences of not meeting those standards. In part 2, we will review some of the further consequences of these standards–the ones we do not speak about nearly enough. These are the negative health and wellbeing outcomes of attempting to reach and maintain generalized body standards required to maintain good standing in the military.

During my time working under a dietitian providing nutrition counseling to Marines, I observed her providing care based on the individual’s specific needs for their health and performance by educating them about the role of nutrients and energy in the body and the focus on eating enough. In these counseling sessions, nearly every Marine shared that their leaders, comrades, and trainers were giving them advice to lose weight at any cost. They were doing so by severely undereating, participating in extreme exercise (beyond the very high intensity exercise they already partake in), consuming diet pills and wearing trash bags in a sauna for hours–anything to lose weight quickly.

Marines who reported they were partaking in these behaviors also found it very difficult to perform physically. They would say things like, “I’m barely eating and I am trying so hard to lose weight. Why am I not doing better in my hikes and fitness tests?” Many of their efforts did not lead to the weight loss they desired because, let’s face it, weight loss is not as simple as ‘calories in versus calories out.’

Since the majority of people with eating disorders never seek formal treatment for their disorder or are never formally diagnosed (Hart et al., 2011), researchers cannot simply search medical records to find inclusive data for the prevalence of eating disorders. Still, scientists in the U.S. and around the world are trying to gather data to provide an idea of the rate of eating disorders. Even so, the Hudson et al., 2007 study concluded that approximately 20 million females and 10 million males in the U.S. have a clinically significant eating disorder at some point in their lifetime.

The Facts, Compiled

In a series of studies by Mcnulty in 2001, it was found that 50.1% of men across all ranks in the Navy were classified as having an eating disorder. The use of diuretics, vomiting, diet pills, laxatives, fasting and binge eating existed under regular circumstances for these individuals, and increased in prevalence by 12-13% at the time of weigh-ins and fitness testing.

In another study focused on women in all branches of the service (McNulty, 2001), data was gathered from 235 Army women, 443 Navy women, 355 Air Force women, and 245 Marine Corps women. For the combined sample of 1,278 service women, 28% reported normal eating and the rest (72%) reported disordered eating. Marine Corps women scored significantly higher for all disorders than women in other service branches, and they had the lowest reported percent body fat. The top five reasons given for engaging in these types of behaviors were: competitiveness for advancement, concern for weight, being forced into a weight-control program, and being harassed by supervisors for weight.

The research shows that while many individuals meet the standards and are within the weight/body fat acceptable range, there is an alarming amount of disordered behaviors that they partake in to reach that standard. Of the Marine Corps women surveyed in the above study, 22.3% reported being amenorrheic (loss of menstrual period), compared with 10.2% of Army women, 9.9% of Navy women, and 7.4% of Air Force women. Loss of menstrual function is one physical sign to inform us of an organ dysfunctioning, and it should be a clear indicator that other body processes are not working properly as a result of disordered behaviors in order to meet weight criteria.

The need to maintain strict weight and body composition standards places pressure on military members, possibly even more so on those with jobs requiring less strenuous activity after completing initial entry programs that involve high levels of exercise. With policies in place that test members annually or semi-annually, this can lead to further unhealthy practices. For example, Peterson and coworkers (1995) found that military personnel in a weight-management program engaged in significantly more bulimic behaviors (compared to non-military programs and military members who were not in a weight-loss program). Behaviors such as vomiting, strenuous exercise, and use of saunas or steam rooms were four times more common in those assigned to a military weight-management program. This group of individuals was predominantly male (65%).

A Personal Account

While the research found that those enrolled in weight management programs engage in higher levels of purging behavior than others, there are many personal accounts that prove the current standards encourage unhealthy behaviors, even when not in a weight management program. In college, I watched loved ones and friends undergo preparation to be accepted into Marine Corps training programs, missing classes to travel hours to assessment sites. One was turned away for weighing 1 pound over the standard. She was told she needed to lose weight and come back in a week. She spent the next few days in the sauna at our University’s gym, sweating for hours and hoping her efforts would result in the weight loss that was her golden ticket to becoming an officer in the Marine Corps. She was and is high performing, both physically and intellectually, and nourishes her body intuitively and adequately. Her leadership ability, physical strength, and intelligence made her a shoe-in for her role, however it was 1 pound that made the difference in delaying her journey to reach her career goal. Reflecting on this scenario, it is clear that the organization–of which members are and should be proud to be a part of–has systems in place that result in unhealthy and harmful behaviors for the physical and mental health of those involved.

I believe the military is defined by so much more than its weight standards. It is an establishment of honor and consists of high-achieving and driven members. These are simply examples of how diet culture has found its way into establishments like this, and can force disordered concepts and behavior onto its members who might not have partaken in them in the first place if they had not pursued this route. For a further review of the research, click here.

Now that we have reviewed the alarming evidence of the prevalence of eating disorders and unhealthy behaviors that happen as a result of members striving for unrealistic body standards, we will explore avenues for change and assistance of those struggling with eating disorders in the military in Part 3.

References

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