Charlene Reynolds
Today the Department of Defense announced the final results of its 2008 Survey of Health Related Behaviors among active duty military personnel. Active duty Coast Guard personnel were included in the survey's cohort for the first time since the series of surveys began in 1980, providing the first comprehensive look at all active military services.
"The 2008 survey indicates that the U.S. Armed Forces are generally strong, healthy, and ready to accomplish their mission," said Jack Smith, M.D., acting deputy assistant secretary of defense for clinical policy and program policy. "We are pleased with the continued increase of healthy behaviors and preventive health practices reported by our service members."
The study shows notable decreases over the past 28 years in the use of cigarettes and illegal drugs and encouraging indicators of mental well being.
In addition, there are improvements in certain self-reported preventive health measures since 2005 including increases in moderate or vigorous exercise and a decline in overweight personnel under age 20. When compared to civilian data adjusted to mirror military demographic characteristics, the 2008 survey showed that military rates of heavy drinking were lower than the civilian average among persons aged 46 to 64. For cigarette use, military rates were slightly higher than civilian rates among persons aged 18 to 35 but military rates were significantly lower for persons aged 36 and older. The 2008 rate for illicit drug use, including prescription drugs, was 12 percent, an increase from 5 percent in 2005. The percentage increase is primarily attributed to the addition of questions that ask for usage of prescription medication for non-medical reasons. Rates of use of nonprescription illicit drugs (e.g. cocaine, marijuana, amphetamines) have remained low and stable at about two percent.
This survey is the 10th in a series of confidential, anonymous standardized surveys that ask active duty service members about various health related behaviors. In addition to substance use, the survey also assesses mental well-being, deployment issues, fitness, nutrition and weight management, and selected national health status goals from the Department of Health and Human Services' Healthy People 2010 objectives. More than 28,500 service members from the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and Coast Guard, randomly selected to represent men and women in all pay grades of the active force throughout the world, completed the survey.
Survey Results
http://www.health.mil/Content/docs/FINAL%20HB%20Survey%20QAs%2012152009.pdf
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment