• Laurel Wentz, Pei-Yang Liu, Emily Haymes, and Jasminka Z Ilich.
• Department of Nutrition, Food and Exercise Sciences, Florida State University, 120 Convocation Way, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA.
• Mil Med. 2011 Apr 1; 176 (4): 420430420-30.

ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to review incidence of stress fractures in military and athlete populations and identify factors explaining causes and differences in the incidence among genders.MethodsSearches were conducted using several major databases. The studies were included if they were original studies including both male and female subjects and their aim was to identify incidence rates and risk factors contributing to the development of stress fractures. Of several thousand studies, 11 focusing on military populations and 10 on athletes are discussed.ResultsIn both populations, females had higher incidence of stress fractures, with incidence of approximately 3% and approximately 9.2% for males and females, respectively, in military populations and approximately 6.5% and approximately 9.7%, respectively, in athletes.ConclusionsFactors possibly explaining why females are more susceptible to stress fractures include bone anatomy, lower aerobic capacity, smaller muscle, and poor diet. However, both female recruits and athletes with normal weight and bone health are less likely to develop stress fractures, showing that gender is less important than the overall physical shape/condition.

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