| Booster Shots |
Jump to full article: Los Angeles Times blogs, 2008-10-28
Intro: American sailors and Marines stationed in Iraq are more than twice as likely to use tobacco products as the average American, according to a study presented today at the annual meeting of the American College of Chest Physicians.
In a survey of 408 Marines and sailors, Dr. Michael A. Wilson found 64% used some form of tobacco: 52% smoked cigarettes, 36% used smokeless tobacco and 24% used both. In contrast, the national average for tobacco use is 29.6%. Wilson found the rate of tobacco use is higher now among U.S. troops in Iraq than was found in a 2004 survey of troops returning from the war.
Tobacco use was clearly linked to military service. About half of those surveyed said they had never used tobacco products before joining the military. . . .
Some controversy has surrounded the military's efforts to discourage tobacco use. Smoking among the troops has always been linked with deployment to foreign lands, but much more is known today about the health hazards of smoking . . .
"There is a culture of acceptance about tobacco in the military. . . .
The Defense Department recently launched a virtual anti-smoking campaign targeting enlisted personnel between ages 18 and 25 called "Quit Tobacco, Make Everyone Proud." The Department of Veterans Affairs also has a website on smoking cessation. But more effort should be spent to discourage tobacco use among newly enlisted troops and to discourage smoking in the war zone, Wilson said in an interview with The Times.
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