RR-107-AF Medical Fitness and Resilience

the long version

This report is one of a series designed to support Air Force leaders in promoting resilience among its Airmen, civilian employees, and Air Force family members. It examines the relationship between medical fitness and resilience, using key constructs found in the scientific literature, which address preventive care, the presence and management of injuries and chronic conditions, and facilitators and barriers to access of appropriate health care. Supporting or increasing the levels of the key measures of medical fitness identified in this report may facilitate resilience and can protect Airmen, civilian employees, and Air Force families from the negative effects of stress. The report also reviews interventions designed to promote those constructs, focusing generally on preventive care as one of the most promising ways to reduce the prevalence and burden associated with medical conditions and injuries.