Differentiated physical training guidelines for female military personnel during maternity leave

BACKGROUND: Female military personnel are required to meet single fitness requirements and maintain professional reliability regardless of personal circumstances. According to Article 20 of the Internal Service Regulations of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, military personnel are required to do physical training and sports on a daily basis. However, on maternity leave, female military personnel are eventually excluded from the organized physical training system. In addition, there are no regulated measures to manage the efforts of medical and physical training professionals. As a result, a servicewoman is fully responsible for her fitness, which creates a consistent conflict between the regulation and lack of mechanisms for its implementation. Thus, development of differentiated physical training guidelines adapted to the rate of postpartum recovery from the 6th week is a relevant research and practical task aimed at maintaining the professional potential of female military personnel. AIM: This study aimed to provide scientific evidence and develop differentiated physical recovery guidelines for female military personnel during maternity leave. METHODS: To study the problem, we conducted a survey in two groups, including 18 obstetricians and gynecologists with more than 3 years of track record and 45 military personnel with experience in postpartum recovery and return to duty at various times. Primary endpoints include the prevalence of complications and structure of guidelines; secondary endpoints are the availability of interventions, organizational barriers, and the need for methodological support. We used descriptive statistics. RESULTS: Based on the target group survey, differentiated physical training guidelines for postpartum recovery are proposed. The findings revealed a systemic gap in the organization of rehabilitation activities manifested in the absence of regulated care and a high prevalence of long-term complications. Doctors have confirmed the efficacy of measured physical exercise and the need for a personalized approach to deficiency management. We propose a military personnel stratification by the childbirth type with dynamic guidelines for different stages of recovery. CONCLUSION: The study proposes the differentiated physical training guidelines for female military personnel during maternity leave. The approach is designed for long-term recovery of at least 6 weeks and includes a dynamic application model of physical development tools and methods and pedagogical stratification of trainees. The recovery criterion is the achievement of individual indicators corresponding to the results of the last physical fitness test.