Association among Health Behaviors, Occupational Stress and Obesity of Male Army Officers

Purpose: This cross-sectional study identifies the relationship among health behaviors, occupational stress and obesity of Korean male army officers. Methods: A structured questionnaire was used to assess general characteristics, health behaviors, and occupational stress; physiological measurement was conducted to survey the participants` body mass index and waist circumference. Participants were 140 Korean army officers recruited from four army units. The data were analyzed with SPSS/WIN Statistics 21.0. Results: The prevalence ratios of obesity and of abdominal obesity were 42.1% and 28.1%, respectively. Health behavior outcome came out high while occupational stress was low. Exercise and relaxation were the health behaviors related to obesity whereas ingestion of natural food was the health behavior associated with abdominal obesity. Conclusion: The results highlight that development of continuous obesity management program for male army officers is necessary in order to decrease the prevelence ratio of obesity. Furthermore, an effective obesity management strategy, as part of the army health policy, is firmly in demand.ope