Schofield Barracks

Chronic musculoskeletal pain is a common and growing concern within the Military Health System MHS. Researchers are evaluating two whole-person, non-drug approaches to pain care, comparing these holistic health interventions to usual care in people with chronic musculoskeletal pain. The aim is to find effective ways to improve pain management using team-based care and support for self-management within a stepped care model. Participants are randomly assigned to one of three groups Empowered Relief ER, Move to Health M2H, or Usual Care UC. ER involves a single, 2-hour virtual session teaching pain education, relaxation techniques, and self-management planning. M2H is a virtual health coaching program with multiple sessions over up to 8 weeks to encourage healthy behavior changes. Usual Care follows the participants primary care providers recommendations without added study interventions. Non-responders to ER may receive M2H as a second phase of treatment. Participants attend assessments at baseline, 14, 26, and 52 weeks. Researchers measure pain impact primarily using a self-reported 3-PEG scale after 14 weeks, with additional measures including physical function, sleep disturbance, depression, fatigue, medication misuse, and pain-related beliefs assessed through 52 weeks. Health care use data is collected from military health records to evaluate implementation outcomes. The total study duration for each participant is about one year.

This research investigates how dietary intervention affects weight loss and physical fitness in active duty women after pregnancy. It focuses on the critical first 12 weeks postpartum, a key period for weight loss, and aims to determine if diet counseling leads to better outcomes than routine care. The study also examines factors like exercise, sleep, breastfeeding, and depression that may influence postpartum weight changes and fitness recovery in military women. Participants are primiparous active duty women recruited during the third trimester of pregnancy. They are randomly assigned to either receive intensive virtual dietary counseling throughout the first year postpartum or to receive routine postpartum care without counseling. Both groups are monitored closely for diet, exercise, and sleep using a biometric device, web-based diaries, and questionnaires. The intervention group has scheduled virtual appointments with a dietitian at multiple points in the first year. Data collection is most frequent in the first 12 weeks postpartum, followed by evaluations at 6, 9, and 12 months. Throughout the study, participants track their diet, activity, sleep, breastfeeding, and depression levels via digital tools and questionnaires. Researchers collect weight and fitness data at several timepoints, including a military fitness evaluation at 12 months postpartum. The primary outcomes are weight at 12 weeks postpartum and physical fitness at 12 months. Safety and adherence are monitored regularly, with the study lasting up to one year after delivery to assess long-term effects and factors influencing postpartum weight and fitness.