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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Michelle Canham-Chervak, MPH, PhD¹, Ann C. Klassen, PhD², Marie Diener-West, PhD³, Keith G. Hauret, MSPH, MPT¹, Joseph J. Knapik, ScD¹, Sara Canada, MPH¹, and Bruce H. Jones, MD, MPH¹. (1) Injury Prevention Program, US Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine, ATTN: MCHB-TS-DI, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD 21010-5403, 410.436.1377, michelle.chervak@us.army.mil, (2) Department of Health, Behavior, and Society, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 624 N. Broadway, Baltimore, MD 21205, (3) Department of Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21205

Background: Despite interest, few studies investigating the relationship between risk-taking behavior and injury have been reported. This study investigated the association of risk-taking, measured by an index of multiple health risk behaviors, with injuries sustained by men and women in Army basic training (BT). The regimented structure of BT facilitated isolation and study of this association. Methods: Self-reported questionnaire data on prior health risk behaviors collected during the first week of training were linked to medical data on injuries occurring during the first nine weeks, a period consistently associated with high injury rates. Multivariate survival analysis was used to model the association between injury and a risk-taking index consisting of five health risk behaviors (cigarette use, smokeless tobacco use, alcohol use, weight control practices, and diet/lifestyle choices), analyzed separately by gender. Results: Among this multi-ethnic sample of 1,156 men and 746 women (median age:19 years, range:17-37), the injury rate was 4.2/1,000 training-days for men and 9.3/1,000 training-days for women. Men with the highest scores on the risk-taking index (>2 standard deviations above mean) had twice the risk of injury compared to men with “average” risk-taking (i.e., scores within one standard deviation of mean) (HR=2.0, 95%CI: 1.3, 3.2) while controlling for demographic, physical fitness, and physiologic characteristics. Among women, this relationship was not observed. Implications: This study suggests that risk-taking tendency may predict elevated injury risk among young men, even in a highly-controlled environment such as BT. Such risk-taking tendency should be considered when designing injury prevention strategies and policies.

Learning Objectives:

• Summarize the theoretical basis and prior research on the associations between health risk behaviors, risk-taking, and injury.
• List previously-established risk factors for physical training-related injury.
• Describe the observed association of risk-taking tendency with injury risk in this population of young men.

Keywords: Risk Taking Behavior, Injury Risk

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No