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A content analysis of tobacco control policy in the US Department of Defense

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Abstract

We conducted a content analysis of the US military tobacco policies at the Department of Defense, each respective military service (Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps), and their Major Commands (MAJCOM). Ninety-seven policies were evaluated using the Military Tobacco Policy Rating Form (MTPRF). More than three quarters addressed the following domains: (1) deleterious health effects of tobacco use; (2) environmental tobacco smoke; (3) designation of smoking areas; (4) tobacco prevention/cessation programs; and (5) smokeless tobacco. Few policies (2.1 per cent) mentioned relevant Department of Defense and respective service tobacco use prevalence statistics. Smoking as non-normative or incompatible with military service, the impact of tobacco use on military readiness, and the tobacco industry were addressed infrequently (6.2 per cent, 33.0 per cent, and 8.2 per cent, respectively). Future military tobacco policies should address important omissions of critical information such as the current service tobacco use prevalence, effects on readiness, and smoking as non-normative.

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Acknowledgements

Our research was supported by the National Cancer Institute (grant #s: 1. CA109153, Ruth Malone, PhD, Principal Investigator; and 2. CA109153-06, C. Keith Haddock, PhD, and Ruth Malone, PhD, Principal Investigators). The views expressed in this report are those of the authors and do not reflect the official policy or position of the US Army, US Air Force, US Navy, US Marine Corps, the Department of Defense, or the US government. A searchable database that provides access to all the collected policies is provided at http://www.ndri.org/ctrs/ibhr/index.html.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Private Practice, Hoffman & Associates, Florida, USA

    Kevin M Hoffman

  2. National Development and Research Institutes, Institute for Biobehavioral Health Research, 1920 West 143rd Street, Suite 120, Leawood, 66224, KS, USA

    Walker S C Poston, Nattinee Jitnarin, Sara A Jahnke & Keith Haddock

  3. University of Missouri–Kansas City, Kansas City, MO, USA

    Joseph Hughey

  4. University of Minnesota School of Public Health, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    Harry A Lando

  5. Navy and Marine Corps Public Health Center (NMCPHC), Health Promotion and Wellness, 620 John Paul Jones, Suite 1100, Portsmouth, USA

    Larry N Williams

Authors
  1. Kevin M Hoffman
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  2. Walker S C Poston
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  3. Nattinee Jitnarin
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  4. Sara A Jahnke
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  5. Joseph Hughey
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  6. Harry A Lando
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  7. Larry N Williams
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  8. Keith Haddock
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Walker S C Poston.

Additional information

Military service would seem a logical venue to develop strong anti-smoking policies. This analysis in the United States found infrequent mention of smoking as incompatible with military service; of the impact of tobacco use on military readiness; or of the role of the tobacco industry.

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Hoffman, K., Poston, W., Jitnarin, N. et al. A content analysis of tobacco control policy in the US Department of Defense. J Public Health Pol 32, 334–349 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1057/jphp.2011.6

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