TARGETING TOBACCO

TOBACCO AND READINESS

Data from the 2002 Department of Defense Survey of Health Related Behaviors Among Military Personnel show that the prevalence of cigarette use in the military in 2002 was 33.8%, which was a significant increase from the comparable rate in 1998. Cigar use and smokeless tobacco use have remained essentially the same. Tobacco use is one of the top five health concerns within the military.

In May of this year, the U.S. Surgeon General released a new report on smoking, The Health Consequences of Smoking: A Report of the Surgeon General which presented the now-conclusive evidence that smoking's effects on the body go far beyond lung cancer and heart disease. Smoking is now known to cause abdominal aortic aneurysm, acute myeloid leukemia, cataract, cervical cancer, kidney cancer, pancreatic cancer, pneumonia, periodontitis, and stomach cancer.

Is the use of tobacco affecting your performance and readiness?

"Smokers took more than two minutes longer to finish a two mile run than nonsmokers."...Military Magazine, Vol. 151, February 1986.

"Cigarette smoking does impact adversely on athletic performance. Non-smokers outperformed smokers in three of four categories."...Military Magazine, Vol. 158, July 1993.

"Individuals who smoked cigarettes were more likely to sustain injuries during physical training and operational activities."...American Journal of Preventive Medicine, Vol. 10 No 3, May 1994.

"Cigarette smoking is a big risk factor for stress injury during athletic activities. Soldiers who smoke have up to 2.5 times greater risk of joint and bone injuries."...Army Ground Accident Report, Vol. 13, No. 8, August 1992.

"Smoking significantly increases the risk of sustaining a musculoskeletal injury in female Army basic trainees."...Detton, et al, Smoking and Injury Risk Among Female U.S. Army Basic Combat Trainees. Third International Conference for Injury Prevention and Control, Melbourne, Australia, 1996.

"Risk factors for training-related injuries identified by this study were cigarette smoking..."...Reynolds, K. L., H.A. Heckel, C.E. Witt, et al. Cigarette smoking, physical fitness, and injuries in infantry Soldiers. American Journal of Preventive Medicine 10(3): 1454-150. 1994.