1998 Department of Defense Survey of Health Related Behaviors Among Military Personnel

Abstract

Public reporting burden for the collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to Washington Headquarters Services, Directorate for Information Operations and Reports, 1215 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 1204, Arlington VA 22202-4302. Respondents should be aware that notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person shall be subject to a penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information if it does not display a currently valid OMB control number. The survey is the eighth in a series of DoD surveys conducted since 1980 and has three broad aims: (a) to continue the survey of substance use among active-duty military personnel, (b) to assess progress toward selected Healthy People 2000 objectives for active-duty military personnel, and (c) to provide baseline data regarding progress toward selected Healthy People 2010 objectives for active-duty military personnel. As such, it provides comprehensive and detailed estimates of the prevalence of alcohol, illicit drug, and tobacco use and the negative effects of alcohol use. In combination with data from the prior surveys in the series, it provides data for trends. It also provides estimates for health behaviors pertaining to fitness and cardiovascular disease risk reduction, injuries and injury prevention, and sexually transmitted disease risk reduction. In addition, it offers an assessment of the mental health of military personnel, including stress and depression, and examines oral health and dental check-ups, gambling behaviors, and special gender-specific health issues pertaining to women's and men's health. REPORT DATE OCT 20032Many individuals contributed to the success of this study. Among DoD and military Services personnel, special appreciation is due to Ms. Kim Frazier, Lieutenant Colonel Michael Hartzell, Lieutenant Colonel Tom Williams, and Dr. Michael Peterson, the Cooperative Agreement Officer's Representatives, who provided valuable guidance and facilitated conduct of the study. Excellent liaison between DoD, RTI, and the Services was provided by Colonel Regina Curtis for the Army, Mr. Linden Butler and Mr. William Flannery for the Navy, Lieutenant Danisha Robbins and Mr. Cruz Martinez for the Marine Corps, and Dr. Paul DiTullio and Mr. Charlie Hamilton for the Air Force. We also gratefully acknowledge the efforts of Mr. Robert Hamilton, Ms. Carole Massey, and Ms. Sue Reinhold of the Defense Manpower Data Center for constructing the installation-level sampling frame, selecting the sample of military personnel, and relaying current military population counts used for the analysis weights. The cooperation of installation commanders, both for the pilot test and the main survey, and the assista...

Population Health Trial for Smokeless Tobacco Cessation with Military Personnel

“…41 Another interesting finding is that almost half of all of the participants reported that they had attempted to quit smokeless tobacco use during past year. This is consistent with previous military reports by Bray and colleagues 14,18,[20][21] other sites were related to the requirement for multiple IRB reviews within the same service branches, significant differences in IRB protocol requirements, and differences in the requirements for informed consent documents.…”

Survey Nonresponse Bias Among Young Adults: The Role of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Drugs

“…Previous research, however, indicates that "heavy drinking" rates are higher among 18-to 25-year-olds in the U.S. military than in the U.S. general population (Bray et al, 1999). It seems likely that the substance use patterns developed by young adults during military service could carry over into civilian life once members of the military retire or are discharged (Haddock et al, 1995;Talcott, Poston, and Haddock, 1998).…”

User Ratings of a Web-Based Personalized Alcohol Misuse Prevention Feedback Program

“…While the program received moderate positive ratings from the majority of the sample, yoimger Marines, who are at greater risk for alcohol-related incidents and problems (Bray et al, 1999), rated the program as more useful, were more likely to recommend the program to others, and rated the program overall more positively than those Marines over the age of 25. This result may reflect findings from other studies on characteristics of computer users that show that younger people report more experience and acceptance of computer use (Vandelanotte & DeBourdeauhuij, 2003).…”

“…Participants reporting either any drinks or drinking on any number of days during the 30 days prior to the survey were counted as current drinkers. A heavy drinking category was computed for drinkers who reported 5 or more drinks per occasion at least once per week, a definition used in previous Department of Defense reports on alcohol use (Bray et al, 1999). Independent t tests were conducted to examine tiie bivariate associations between the four primary ratings of the program and demographic and alcohol use status variables.…”

“…The fi-equency of binge drinking was assessed by asking users how many times they drank 4 or more drinks in a row, for women, or 5 or more drinks in a row, for men, in the last 2 weeks (Wechsler et al, 1998). Using items from a previous Department of Defense health behaviors survey series (Bray et al, 1999), users were then asked about the occurrence of alcohol-related problems such as not getting promoted due to drinking, getting a lower score on a performance rating because of drinking, or receiving military punishment because of drinking. In addition, to estimate their blood alcohol level (BAL), the participant was asked about their most recent drinking occasion.…”