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ST. PETERSBURG, Florida – Smoking has been an integral part of the military culture for decades.
But a new call from the Surgeon General and his military counterparts aims to stop smoking, which they see as "a threat to the health and fitness of our forces and compromises readiness, the foundation of a defense strong national ".
In a recently published editorial in Stars and Stripes, general surgeons from the Air Force, Army, Navy and United States urge active service members to stop using tobacco products.
"The use of tobacco products among service members is ubiquitous, harmful and an urgent public health problem," reads the editorial.
It is estimated that more than one-third of members of the armed forces who use tobacco products have resumed this habit after joining the military.
"We are talking with one voice to advocate for the types of actions that can help members of a service to stop using all forms of tobacco products, be it smoked, smoke-free or electronic," reads in the editorial.
For a long time, the data of the Department of Defense showed more smoke in the service than outside.
The evidence is here in our own backyard at the Bay Pines, Va., Hospital, where veterans continue to seek help for quitting smoking long after their service ends.
"It's 100% a culture change," said Dr. Candis Cornell, clinical psychologist and behavioral behavior coordinator for health in the Bay Pines VA smoking cessation program.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than one in five veterans in the United States said they are currently a cigarette smoker.
"Many veterans have said that they used tobacco products in the military and that it was just a way of life," said Cornell. Now, as veterans … in a society that longs to be tobacco-free, much more difficult and complicated to achieve. "
Cornell told Bay Pines veterans, through coaches specializing in smoking cessation, that they could find support, education, and behavioral strategies to quit smoking.
To learn more about Bay Pines Smoke Free, click here.
Not only is smoking a well-known cause of cancer, heart and lung disease and stroke, but it would cost the Department of Defense billions of dollars a year in health care.
The good news is that things seem to be improving.
Active duty staff who report smoking regularly has decreased by almost half since 2011, from 24% to 14%, according to the Department of Defense. Smoking is now less prevalent among the military than the general population for the first time since 2011.
Twenty-six percent of service members report that their supervisor strongly discourages smoking.
The general editorial of surgeons includes recommendations for military leaders to help them get a tobacco-free service.
Looking for help to stop? Here are some resources:
Visit YouCanQuit2 or SmokefreeVET
You can also call 1-800-QUIT-NOW or 1-855-QUIT-VET.
The Centers for Disease Control also has resources specifically for military and veterans.
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