Editor's note: Over the next several months AFMC's Surgeon General's Office will provide a series of articles detailing the findings of the survey and how they impact the men and women of Air Force Materiel Command.
The Department of Defense recently announced the results of its 1998 worldwide survey of health behaviors among military personnel. The report shows the usage of alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drugs are at the lowest rates since the department began measuring certain health-related behaviors in 1980.
DOD began conducting the health behavior survey in the early 1980s, when officials became alarmed about allegations of illicit drug use by service members. Since then, active-duty service members have been surveyed for their life styles and health habits about every three years.
"The surveys provide us with valuable information about Air Force personnel lifestyles, and they help us develop courses of action to help them by tailoring prevention efforts to meet their needs," said Col. Gary Murray, AFMC command surgeon.
Everything learned from the survey is used to maintain a baseline to develop and improve health education and intervention programs, Murray said.
"We aren't as concerned about actual numbers as we are about trends," he said. "Our goal is to maintain the health of the active-duty member. As a community, we must address these issues together to build a truly fit, fighting force."
By 1995, DOD had seen a marked decrease in unhealthy habits like drug and alcohol abuse and tobacco use.
"Our continued emphasis on health promotion, safety, and disease prevention will help our service members achieve personal best performances and force readiness," said Dr. Sue Bailey, assistant secretary of Defense for Health Affairs.
The latest survey shows that illicit drug use has dropped from 27.6 percent in 1980 to 2.7 percent in 1998. During the same period, heavy drinking (five or more drinks at least once a week) declined from 20.8 percent to 15.4 percent, while cigarette smoking fell from 51 percent to 29.9 percent.
As encouraging as these trends are, however, the declines between 1995 and 1998 were not significant. In fact, the amount of heavy drinking remained problematic in 1998 as nearly one in six military personnel engaged in heavy alcohol use. In addition, the military's smoking rate remains about 10 percentage points above the "Healthy People 2000" objective of 20 percent.
"Healthy People 2000" is the federal government's national health agenda. Its aim is to prevent unnecessary disease and disability and to achieve a better quality of life for all Americans. The agenda calls for individuals, families, communities, health professionals, the media and government to share the responsibility of improving the nation's health profile.
Other key findings from the survey included the following:
- The average daily amount of alcohol consumed by military personnel has declined by 47 percent over the past 18 years. The percentage of abstainers and light or infrequent drinkers has increased from 25.6 percent in 1980 to 43.2 percent in 1998.
- The increase in past-year cigar and pipe smoking between 1995 and 1998 was significant: from 18.7 percent to 32.6 percent. Although the majority of this behavior occurred infrequently (less than once a week) this large increase is a concern.
- The percentage of overweight personnel in both age categories (under 20 and 20 or older) increased between 1995 and 1998. Possibly contributing to this rise is the fact that only 50 percent of Air Force members participated in vigorous activity at least 3 days per week for at least 20 minutes per session.
- Military personnel described their military duties as more stressful than their family or personal lives. The most frequently indicated stressor for both men (19.5 percent) and women (19.5 percent) was family separation.
- Personnel with higher levels of stress were more likely than those with lower levels of stress to work below normal performance levels and to incur injuries because of accidents in the work place.
