LAUSR

OBJECTIVE To determine the incidence of pelvic floor disorders (PFD) among active-duty US Army female soldiers. MATERIALS AND METHODS We studied 102,015 women for incident PFD using the Stanford Military Data Repository, which comprises medical, demographic and service-related information on all soldiers on active duty in the US Army during 2011-14. Cox proportional hazards estimated adjusted associations with PFD diagnoses. In the adjusted models, military-specific characteristics and fitness were evaluated alongside known PFD predictors. RESULTS Among 102,015 subjects at risk there was a cumulative incidence of 6.4% over a mean of 27 months (median 29, range 1-42). In adjusted models, obese soldiers were more likely to have a PFD compared to those of normal weight (HR 1.23, CI 1.14-1.34, p<0.001) and those with recent weight gain were more likely to have a PFD compared to those without (HR 1.32, CI 1.24-1.40, p<0.05). Women with the lowest physical fitness scores were more likely to have a PFD (HR 1.14, CI 1.04-1.25) compared to those with the highest scores. CONCLUSION Over a median follow-up time of 29 months, 1 in 15 women in this active-duty cohort was diagnosed with a PFD. Optimizing risk factors including BMI and physical fitness may benefit the pelvic health of female soldiers, independent of age, children, and years of service.