Document Type

Article

Department/Program

Virginia Institute of Marine Science

Publication Date

2022

Journal

European Journal of Preventive Cardiology

Volume

29

Issue

16

First Page

e353

Last Page

e354

Abstract

United States Army soldiers have used tobacco for decades1 despite known health risks associated with these products.2 Material connections between the tobacco industry and the military during the early part of the 20th century, coupled with pervasive advertising images of soldiers using tobacco during combat, served to promote tobacco use among young recruits entering training.3 A variety of policies
have been instituted during the training period, to varied and sometimes suboptimal effect.4 Currently, tobacco (defined as any non-therapeutic nicotine product) is banned during basic combat training (BCT), the first phase of training in a soldier’s career, which lasts 10 weeks. It is allowed in the longer subsequent advanced individual training (AIT), during which soldiers learn their military occupation
specialty. Trainee soldiers in an AIT aviation battalion on Fort Eustis in Virginia previously reported a reduction in overall tobacco use following BCT,5 prompting a decision to institute a proposed nicotine-free policy during AIT, which lasts approximately 3–6 months. This study aimed to determine if the AIT nicotine-free policy implementation process would change the tobacco user’s intention
to remain abstinent following AIT, when tobacco use would not be restricted.

DOI

doi: 10.1093/eurjpc/zwac084

Publication Statement

This work is written by (a) US Government employee(s) and is in the public domain in the US.

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