This paper investigates eating behaviours and motivations of early career military trainees from two pathways (officer cadets and army recruits) to understand whether, and to what extent, healthful eating behaviours were present, and what motivates eating in general and healthful habits specifically. The study also sought to understand whether groups need strategies that are pathway specific or are transferrable across different trainee populations. Participants were recruited via email to complete an online survey and through in-person invitations to ensure a diverse cross section of trainees (n = 195) and recruits (n = 297). Two-step cluster analysis revealed three distinct segments with education, opportunity and motivation being the most important variables within a wider multivariate segment formation and stepwise linear regression was performed to identify the most optimal model with the least number of predictors for each segment. The ideal model for the uninterested segment contained nine predictors, seven predictors for the Breakfast skippers segment and eight predictors for the Weight conscious segment. This study found that there is room for improvement in the eating habits of military trainees across military training pathways. Eating motivations, and their associations with healthful eating habits, indicate a need for strategies that are broader than instilling or reinforcing health motivations. Strategies that can be implemented to support healthful eating for military trainees include provision of food preparation and cooking skills training, coupled with provision of social support and environments that facilitate healthful eating. Furthermore, three distinct segments were discovered within the trainee population, indicating that strategies for positively changing trainees’ eating behaviours may not need to be pathway specific, rather it may be possible to introduce the same group of segmented strategies across both pathways. Future research directions and limitations are outlined.

中文翻译：

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激励军事学员健康饮食：来自两个地点的见解。

本文通过两种途径（军官学员和陆军新兵）调查了早期军事训练生的进食行为和动机，以了解他们是否存在饮食行为，以及在何种程度上出现了健康饮食行为，以及是什么饮食习惯导致了一般饮食和健康习惯的产生。该研究还试图了解小组是否需要针对具体途径的策略或可在不同学员群体之间转移的策略。通过电子邮件招募参与者以完成在线调查，并通过亲自邀请来确保参与者（n = 195）和新兵（n = 297）的不同领域。两步聚类分析显示了受教育的三个不同部分，机会和动机是更广泛的多元细分市场形成中最重要的变量，并且逐步线性回归用于确定每个细分市场中预测变量最少的最佳模型。对于无兴趣的细分受众群的理想模型包含9个预测因子，早餐船长细分受众群的7个预测因子和“体重意识”细分受众群的8个预测因子。这项研究发现，跨军事训练途径的军事学员的饮食习惯仍有改善的空间。饮食动机及其与健康饮食习惯的联系表明，需要一种比灌输或加强健康动机更广泛的策略。可以实施的支持军事学员健康饮食的策略包括提供食物准备和烹饪技能培训，以及提供社会支持和有利于健康饮食的环境。此外，在受训者群体中发现了三个不同的部分，这表明积极改变受训者的饮食行为的策略可能不需要特定于途径，而是有可能在这两个途径中引入同一组细分策略。概述了未来的研究方向和局限性。表明积极改变受训者饮食行为的策略可能不需要特定于途径，而是有可能在这两种途径中引入相同的细分策略组。概述了未来的研究方向和局限性。表明积极改变受训者饮食行为的策略可能不需要特定于途径，而是有可能在这两种途径中引入相同的细分策略组。概述了未来的研究方向和局限性。