Risk Factors for Musculoskeletal Injuries Among Greek Army Officer Cadets Undergoing Basic Combat Training

OBJECTIVES: Predictors of work-related injuries were assessed using data from a group of Greek Army officer cadets. METHODS: Cadets (n = 253) were monitored by physicians for musculoskeletal injuries resulting through a 7-week Basic Combat Training (BCT) period. Potential predictors of musculoskeletal injuries (Cadets' entry number, body mass index [BMI], body fat percentage [BFP], gender, age, sport experience, and nationality) were modeled via univariate and multivariate logistic regressions. RESULTS: Using odds ratio (OR) and confidence interval (CI), it was shown that older age (OR = 0.73; 95% CI = 0.56-0.96), female gender (OR = 0.13; 95% CI = 0.02-0.81), high BFP (OR = 1.21; 95% CI = 1.07-1.37), and Greek nationality (OR = 0.22; 95% CI = 0.07-0.69) were all associated with musculoskeletal injuries. These factors, except for gender, were also related to overuse injuries. CONCLUSIONS: During BCT, adiposity expressed as BFP and not as BMI can predict the magnitude and type (acute-overuse) of musculoskeletal injuries in Greek cadets.