Healthy Eating And Army Combat Fitness Performance: The Mediating Roles Of Vo2 Max And Lean Body Mass

ABSTRACT Optimal physical performance in military personnel is influenced by both lifestyle behaviors and physiological attributes. PURPOSE: To examine whether lean body mass and VO2 max mediate the relationship between healthy eating and Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) performance. METHODS: Eighty-nine ROTC cadets (age range: 18-24 years) completed assessments of healthy eating (Healthy Eating Index), VO2 max, lean body mass (kg), and ACFT scores. Covariates included age, gender, and ROTC activity level. Mediation analysis was conducted using PROCESS v5.0 in SPSS with 5,000 bootstrap samples. RESULTS: Healthy eating significantly predicted ACFT scores (direct effect = 1.42, p = .039), but did not significantly predict VO2 max (p = .14) or lean body mass (p = .29). Both VO2 max and lean body mass were significant predictors of ACFT scores (p < .01 and p < .01, respectively). However, indirect effects through VO2 max (effect = 0.554, 95% CI [-2.24, 1.37]) and lean body mass (effect = 0.183, 95% CI [-1.62,0.78]) were not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Healthy eating has a direct positive effect on ACFT performance, but this relationship is not significantly mediated by VO2 max or lean body mass. These findings suggest that while physiological attributes are important for fitness outcomes, the influence of healthy eating on performance may operate through other mechanisms or behaviors not captured in this model.