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Physical activity, social-communicative skills and fitness for military service
  1. Jan Silvala1,
  2. T Hurtig1,2,3,
  3. A Yliherva3,
  4. A Taanila4 and
  5. R Korpelainen2,4,5
  1. 1Research Unit of Clinical Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
  2. 2Medical Research Center Oulu, University of Oulu and Oulu University Hospital, Oulu, Finland
  3. 3Clinic of Child Psychiatry, Oulu University Hospital, Oulu, Finland
  4. 4Research Unit of Population Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
  5. 5Department of Sports and Exercise Medicine, Oulu Deaconess Institute Foundation sr, Oulu, Finland
  1. Correspondence to Jan Silvala, Research Unit of Clinical Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oulu, Oulu 90220, Finland; jan.silvala{at}student.oulu.fi

Abstract

Introduction Research has suggested that increased difficulties in social-communicative skills are associated with release from military service. A few studies have focused on the association between physical activity and military fitness; however, studies of the association between social-communicative skills and physical activity remain scarce. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between the amount of leisure time physical activity and fitness for military service, as well as to investigate the association between social-communicative difficulties and physical activity.

Methods This is a population-based cross-sectional ‘Young Men in the North Project’, in which 2614 men (M age=18.1 years) participated in an obligatory military fitness call-up and filled out the study questionnaire.

Results The results showed that higher physical performance compared with peers and attaining the weekly amount of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity were associated with lower likelihood of being permanently or temporarily released from the service. In addition, difficulties in social-communicative skills were associated with lower physical performance and lower weekly amounts of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. The results also showed that higher physical performance or attaining the recommended weekly amount of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, together with higher social-communicative skills, lowered the likelihood of being permanently or temporarily released from the service.

Conclusions These results suggest that better physical performance, or a higher level of physical activity, together with better social-communicative skills, lowers the likelihood of being permanently and temporarily released from the military service more than physical performance or physical activity alone.

  • Child & adolescent psychiatry
  • EPIDEMIOLOGY
  • SPORTS MEDICINE

Data availability statement

No data are available.

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Footnotes

  • Contributors The corresponding author (JS) made substantial contributions to the writing, analysis and interpretation of data for the work. RK made substantial contributions to the conception and design of the work and the analysis and interpretation of data for the work. TH made substantial contributions to the conception and design of the work, the acquisition, the analysis and the interpretation of data for the work. AT and AY made substantial contributions to the conception and design of the work. JS, RK, TH, AT and AY contributed to drafting of the work and revising it critically for important intellectual content. JS, RK, TH, AT and AY provided final approval of the version to be published. JS, RK, TH, AT and AY agreed to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved. JS

    is responsible for the overall content as guarantor and accepts the full responsibility for the finished work, had access to the data, and controlled the decision to publish.

  • Funding This project was supported by a working grant from the Alma and KA Snellman Foundation, Oulu, Finland (20230008).

  • Competing interests None declared.

  • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; internally peer reviewed.

  • Supplemental material This content has been supplied by the author(s). It has not been vetted by BMJ Publishing Group Limited (BMJ) and may not have been peer-reviewed. Any opinions or recommendations discussed are solely those of the author(s) and are not endorsed by BMJ. BMJ disclaims all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on the content. Where the content includes any translated material, BMJ does not warrant the accuracy and reliability of the translations (including but not limited to local regulations, clinical guidelines, terminology, drug names and drug dosages), and is not responsible for any error and/or omissions arising from translation and adaptation or otherwise.