Trends and Correlates of Tobacco Use in the Military: 1980-2005

Because tobacco use negatively impacts the state of military readiness and the health of military personnel, it remains a concern for military leaders. To track changes in tobacco use, DoD has sponsored a series of health behavior surveys from 1980 to 2005 (the 2008 survey is in progress) and a special study in 2006 on Unit Level Influences of tobacco use that examine prevalence and correlates of tobacco use. Each of the surveys has had large samples (12,000 to 20,000 respondents) from the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force. After showing declines in prevalence of use for a number of years, military personnel have shown recent increases both in cigarettes and smokeless tobacco that are not well understood. The present paper will review tobacco use trends, the relations of cigarette use and smokeless tobacco use, key demographic and other correlates of use, and social factors playing a role in tobacco use. It will also contrast the rates of cigarette use observed in the military with those of civilians as reported in the National Survey on Drug Abuse and Health.