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Modeling the Metabolic Costs of Heavy Military Backpacking.

Authors :
Looney DP
Lavoie EM
Vangala SV
Holden LD
Figueiredo PS
Friedl KE
Frykman PN
Hancock JW
Montain SJ
Pryor JL
Santee WR
Potter AW
Source :
Medicine and science in sports and exercise [Med Sci Sports Exerc] 2022 Apr 01; Vol. 54 (4), pp. 646-654.
Publication Year :
2022

Abstract

Introduction: Existing predictive equations underestimate the metabolic costs of heavy military load carriage. Metabolic costs are specific to each type of military equipment, and backpack loads often impose the most sustained burden on the dismounted warfighter.<br />Purpose: This study aimed to develop and validate an equation for estimating metabolic rates during heavy backpacking for the US Army Load Carriage Decision Aid (LCDA), an integrated software mission planning tool.<br />Methods: Thirty healthy, active military-age adults (3 women, 27 men; age, 25 ± 7 yr; height, 1.74 ± 0.07 m; body mass, 77 ± 15 kg) walked for 6-21 min while carrying backpacks loaded up to 66% body mass at speeds between 0.45 and 1.97 m·s-1. A new predictive model, the LCDA backpacking equation, was developed on metabolic rate data calculated from indirect calorimetry. Model estimation performance was evaluated internally by k-fold cross-validation and externally against seven historical reference data sets. We tested if the 90% confidence interval of the mean paired difference was within equivalence limits equal to 10% of the measured metabolic rate. Estimation accuracy and level of agreement were also evaluated by the bias and concordance correlation coefficient (CCC), respectively.<br />Results: Estimates from the LCDA backpacking equation were statistically equivalent (P < 0.01) to metabolic rates measured in the current study (bias, -0.01 ± 0.62 W·kg-1; CCC, 0.965) and from the seven independent data sets (bias, -0.08 ± 0.59 W·kg-1; CCC, 0.926).<br />Conclusions: The newly derived LCDA backpacking equation provides close estimates of steady-state metabolic energy expenditure during heavy load carriage. These advances enable further optimization of thermal-work strain monitoring, sports nutrition, and hydration strategies.<br /> (Copyright © 2022 Written work prepared by employees of the Federal Government as part of their official duties is, under the U.S. Copyright Act, a “work of the United States Government” for which copyright protection under Title 17 of the United States Code is not available. As such, copyright does not extend to the contributions of employees of the Federal Government.)

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
1530-0315
Volume :
54
Issue :
4
Database :
MEDLINE
Journal :
Medicine and science in sports and exercise
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
34856578
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0000000000002833