Army survey measures Soldier's risky behaviors

By Becky Ham, Staff Writer
Health Behavior News Service

Soldiers who reported having more than 21 drinks a week on an Army survey were more likely to be hospitalized or discharged for alcohol-related problems later on in their military careers, according to recent research in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.

The soldiers were relatively honest about their drinking habits, and those who were at higher risk for alcohol-related problems were also the most consistent in their reported drinking habits over time.

This suggests that the survey might be useful in identifying and intervening with soldiers before their alcohol problems catch up with them, according to Nicole S. Bell, Sc.D., M.P.H., of Social Structure Development Strategies Inc. and colleagues.

Soldiers whose friends worried about their drinking habits were five times more likely to be discharged due to alcoholism and six times more likely to be hospitalized for an alcohol-related problem than those who did not report a drinking problem.

Soldiers who say they felt annoyed when others criticized their drinking were also four times more likely to have an alcohol-related discharge, say the researchers.

The information comes from a health behavior survey that the Army routinely offered to soldiers as they were assigned to a new post or duty, among other occasions. Bell and colleagues compared discharge and hospitalization data with the soldiers’ responses to determine how reliable the survey was.

“This is especially important to evaluate in this population since the survey is not administered anonymously and soldiers may fear reprisals if they provide responses indicative of high-risk or dependent drinking,” Bell says.

Eighty-five percent of the soldiers who took the survey said they consumed seven or fewer drinks per week. The risk of hospitalization or discharge increased with the amount of alcohol consumed each week.

The survey included several questions about alcohol along with other health behaviors. Along with questions about their friends’ attitudes and their own alcohol consumption, the soldiers were asked whether they ever felt guilty about their drinking, whether they had ever considered cutting back and how often they had been in a drinking and driving situation in the past month.

The study was supported by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

 Health Behavior News Service: (202) 387-2829 or www.hbns.org.
Interviews: Contact Nicole Bell at (617) 421-9644 or nbell@ssds.net
Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research: Contact Mary Newcomb at (317) 278-4765 or mnewcomb@iupui.edu, or visit www.alcoholism-cer.com.

Center for the Advancement of Health
Contact: Ira R. Allen
Director of Public Affairs
202.387.2829
press@cfah.org

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