THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, April 17, 1996 TAG: 9604170391
SECTION: MILITARY NEWS PAGE: A8 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DALE EISMAN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium: 76 lines
The Pentagon has had considerable success in efforts to get service members to cut back on smoking and stop using illegal drugs, but heavy drinking remains about as much of a problem today as it was in 1980, according to a new survey.
Results of the 1995 poll on ``health-related behaviors,'' in which more than 16,000 troops took part, suggest that the military has a right to claim victory in its war on illegal drugs in the ranks.
Beginning in the early '80s, military leaders ``sent a very strong message that (drug use) was something they simply weren't going to tolerate,'' said Robert M. Bray, a researcher at North Carolina's Research Triangle Institute who directed the study.
As a result, only 3.1 percent of those surveyed reported using illicit drugs within the past 30 days. That was down from 27.6 percent who acknowledged recent use of drugs for a 1980 survey. The reported use of drugs among service members in the recent survey was also less than one-third the rate found among civilians in other studies.
While they've cracked down on drugs, the services' messages on drinking and smoking haven't been so unequivocal, Bray said. That's no doubt in large part because alcohol and tobacco remain legal, he acknowledged. Both products also continue to be sold, at discount prices, at military stores.
The survey was the sixth in a series the Pentagon has commissioned since 1980, but the first to include questions about the stress of military life. Some military leaders believe that the downsizing of forces in the aftermath of the Cold War, coupled with continuing demands for deployments around the world, have increased stresses on those in uniform.
The survey found almost 40 percent of military members call their work highly stressful, while just 22 percent say they have high levels of stress in their personal lives. Only 10 percent of military members said they have no stress at work.
The survey asked members about a variety of other health-related subjects, including their weight, type and frequency of exercise, sexual activity and the use of condoms, and whether they use seat belts when driving and wear helmets when riding bikes and motorcycles.
Women also were asked about how often they receive gynecological services and pre-natal care.
In areas like seat belt and helmet use and weight control, ``where military regulations help ensure compliance,'' the report said the services are meeting or approaching goals for healthy behavior. ``It is likely to be more challenging to reach the targets in other areas where change is more dependent on the initiative of individuals,'' the report observed.
The report identified heavy drinking as a particular area of concern. While the average daily consumption of alcohol was down significantly from 1980 levels, about one of every five troops reported engaging in heavy drinking - five drinks or more at a time at least once each week.
Bray acknowledged that the military's alcohol and smoking problems actually could be worse and drug use could be more prevalent than the survey suggests. Because the services ban or at least discourage both activities, some members may have understated their involvement, he said.
Bray said the Pentagon tries to minimize such less-than-candid responses by guaranteeing that survey responses will be kept confidential and employing an independent agent, in this case the Research Triangle Institute, to do the study.
Bray added that even if some members lied in completing the survey, the trends it indicates should be valid because past surveys would have included about the same number of untruthful responses. ILLUSTRATION: Graphic\VP
Highlights of the survey of health-related behaviors
KEYWORDS: MILITARY SMOKING DRUG ABUSE SURVEY SERVICE MEMBERS by CNB