CIGARETTE-SMOKING IN THE UNITED-STATES MILITARY - FINDINGS FROM THE 1992 WORLDWIDE SURVEY

Background. Using data from the military's Worldwide Survey series, th is article presents findings on the prevalence of smoking among active -duty military personnel in 1992 and trends since 1980. Methods. A str atified probability sampling design was used in the 1992 Worldwide Sur vey. Military installations worldwide were sampled, and then active-du ty personnel within these installations were selected. A total of 16,3 95 usable questionnaires were obtained, for an overall response rate o f 77.3%. Results. The prevalence of cigarette smoking among military p ersonnel has declined from 51% in 1980 to 35% in 1992. This decline wa s not explained by changes in the sociodemographic composition of the military population. Overall, smoking was more prevalent among personn el who were white, had less education, and were enlisted. In addition, enlisted men reporting higher levels of work-related stress were more likely to be smokers. Over half of all military personnel who were sm okers in the past year attempted to quit. Conclusions. The military ha s made considerable progress since 1980 in reducing the prevalence of smoking among military personnel. Nonetheless, the prevalence in 1992 was still relatively high, affecting about one of every three personne l. A promising group to target in future antismoking efforts may be sm okers who tried to quit during the past year. (C) 1994 Academic Press, Inc.