BACKGROUND:This study examines the prevalence and correlates of self-reported premenstrual symptoms among a large, population-based sample of reproductive age, active-duty women.METHODS:Data were obtained from a combined dataset of two large-scale mail surveys designed to represent the total force. Subjects included in the present study were 6026 active-duty women of all branches of military service stratified by service, paygrade group, race/ethnicity, and location. A multivariate approach is used to evaluate the interrelationships among psychosocial and lifestyle correlates of premenstrual symptoms or pain after controlling for demographic differences in women who reported premenstrual symptoms or pain during the past 3 months (cases) and those who did not (controls).RESULTS:Premenstrual symptoms were reported by nearly 2 of every 3 reproductive age women. Women reporting premenstrual symptoms were more likely to report other symptoms of menstrual dysfunction, two or more current medical conditions, migraines, and healthcare provider visits in the past year. After controlling for the protective effects of taking Depo-Provera (Upjohn, Kalamazoo, MI) and ever being pregnant, younger age, trying to lose weight, heavier drinking, poorer self-perceived health, and overall job stress were the most significant predictors of premenstrual symptoms. The greatest risk factor was a high level of job stress, with an almost 3-fold increase in risk relative to those without symptoms.CONCLUSIONS:Work stress may mediate the relationship among depression and premenstrual symptoms. Further research is needed to elucidate the biological interrelationships among work stress, hormonal function, and premenstrual symptomatology.

This article examines the prevalence, trends, and correlates in cigar/pipe smoking and their relation to cigarette smoking among active duty U.S. military personnel. An examination of the trends in cigar/pipe smoking was conducted with data from 1985 to 1998, and predictors of smoking were determined for 1998. Rates of cigar/pipe smoking declined from 1985 until about 1992 and then began to increase. From 1995 to 1998, there was a 75% increase in the prevalence of cigar/pipe smoking. Greater prevalence of cigar/pipe smoking was associated with male gender, younger age, relatively favorable beliefs and values toward smoking, and being a current cigarette smoker. Findings indicate a notable increase in past-year cigar/pipe smoking. These findings suggest that military tobacco prevention and early intervention programs would benefit from including components that deal specifically with cigar and pipe use in addition to cigarette smoking.

Relatively little is known about the proclivity of military personnel to engage in substance use during deployments that do not include direct combat, even though such use has negative implications formilitary readiness and the safety of personnel. Using data from the 1995 Department of Defense Survey of Health Related Behaviors Among Military Personnel, we examined whether substance use was associated with deployment in the past 30 days among women and men in the military. Regression models, controlling for sociodemographic factors, showed higher rates of heavy alcohol use among deployed women and men than among those not deployed. This relationship was particularly notable for women: Those deployed were almost 3 times more likely than their nondeployed counterparts to report heavy alcohol use. Among men in the military, deployment also was found to be associated with higher rates of cigarette use, nonheavy alcohol use, and alcohol dependence. Implications of these findings are discussed along with directions for future research.

This study assessed the prevalence and psychosocial correlates of clinical criteria-based diagnoses of nicotine dependence in men and women in the U.S. naval services. Analyses were based on data from the 1995 Perceptions of Wellness and Readiness Assessment, a population-based self-report survey of 9,856 active-duty Navy and Marine Corps members worldwide, specifically focusing on a subsample of those who completed the telephone version of the Quick Diagnostic Interview Schedule (n = 782). Twenty-five percent of all telephone interview volunteers met diagnostic criteria for lifetime nicotine dependence, and 15% met criteria for nicotine dependence in the last year. There was no difference in nicotine dependence by job classification (traditional vs. nontraditional) among women. Women who were abused prior to entering the military were almost three times as likely to be nicotine dependent as those not abused. Men who had been exposed to combat or violence were twice as likely to be nicotine dependent as those not exposed. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd

Flight tests of a half-scale radio-controlled model of the Pioneer unmanned air vehicle (UAV) were conducted for static longitudinal and lateral-directional stability-and-control characteristics. The air vehicle was instrumented to measure control-surface deflections, angle of attack, sideslip angle, and airspeed; telemetry was used to downlink the data to a ground recorder for later processing. A wind-tunnel test of a 0.4-scale Pioneer at full-scale Reynolds numbers was also carried out, as well as a numerical study using a low-order panel method. The flight-test determination of the neutral point agrees well with the other methods of prediction and indicated that the static margin was sufficient to open the restricted c.g. envelope. Other control-related considerations may provide overriding concerns, however. Crosswind limits were determined from steady-sideslip maneuvers and the flight data compared very favorably to that of the other data sources. Low-cost scaled-vehicle flight testing appears to be a viable tool in providing aerodynamic data for UAV simulation and training purposes.

This paper examines trends in alcohol use, illicit drug use, and cigarette use in the U.S. military. Data are drawn from five worldwide surveys (conducted in 1980, 1982, 1985, 1988, and 1992) of active-duty personnel. All surveys used similar methods and common measures of alcohol, illicit drug, and cigarette use. Findings indicate steady and notable reductions in overall alcohol consumption, illicit drug use, and cigarette use. They show less decrease in heavy alcohol use, however, and the apparent decline from 1980 to 1992 is largely a function of demographic changes in the military. In 1992, during the 30 days before the survey, about 1 in 3 personnel smoked, about 1 in 7 were heavy drinkers, and about 3 in 100 used illicit drugs; rates were higher among certain demographic subgroups. Further reductions in smoking and heavy drinking remain the major substance use challenges for the U.S. military in the 1990s.

BACKGROUND Using data from the military's Worldwide Survey series, this article presents findings on the prevalence of smoking among active-duty military personnel in 1992 and trends since 1980. METHODS A stratified probability sampling design was used in the 1992 Worldwide Survey. Military installations worldwide were sampled, and then active-duty personnel within these installations were selected. A total of 16,395 usable questionnaires were obtained, for an overall response rate of 77.3%. RESULTS The prevalence of cigarette smoking among military personnel has declined from 51% in 1980 to 35% in 1992. This decline was not explained by changes in the sociodemographic composition of the military population. Overall, smoking was more prevalent among personnel who were white, had less education, and were enlisted. In addition, enlisted men reporting higher levels of work-related stress were more likely to be smokers. Over half of all military personnel who were smokers in the past year attempted to quit. CONCLUSIONS The military has made considerable progress since 1980 in reducing the prevalence of smoking among military personnel. Nonetheless, the prevalence in 1992 was still relatively high, affecting about one of every three personnel. A promising group to target in future antismoking efforts may be smokers who tried to quit during the past year.

Since 1970, the Department of Defense has set forth a series of policies and programs to combat drug and alcohol abuse among military personnel. The goal of the current policy is one of zero tolerance toward drug and alcohol abuse. Programmatic areas to help attain this goal are assessment, deterrence and detection, treatment and rehabilitation, and education and training. Progress toward eliminating drug and alcohol abuse among military personnel is traced by examining efforts in each of these programmatic areas. The authors conclude that the dramatic decreases in drug use and more stable patterns of alcohol use since 1980 indicate that military policy and programs to eliminate drug abuse have been highly successful, but that military efforts to eliminate alcohol abuse should be intensified.

BACKGROUND:Understanding the effectiveness of policies and programs aimed at combating substance abuse in the military requires comparison with the civilian population from which military personnel are drawn.METHODS:Standardized comparisons of the use of alcohol, drugs, and cigarettes among military personnel and civilians were conducted with data from the 1985 Worldwide Survey of Alcohol and Nonmedical Drug Use among Military Personnel and the 1985 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse. The two data sets were equated for age and geographic location of respondents, and civilian substance use rates were standardized to reflect the sociodemographic distribution of the military.RESULTS:Military personnel were significantly less likely than civilians to use drugs, but were significantly more likely to use alcohol and cigarettes and to engage in heavy use of alcohol and cigarettes. Heavy drinking was especially likely among young military men. Military women were similar to military men in their smoking and drug use patterns.CONCLUSIONS:Findings suggest that military policies and programs have been notably effective in reducing drug use, but that efforts to limit alcohol and cigarette use should be intensified. Military efforts directed against alcohol abuse should be targeted toward younger men, while smoking and drug prevention programs should be directed toward both men and women.

Findings regarding smoking behavior for the 1985 survey of military personnel were compared to findings from earlier surveys. A decline in the percentage of cigarette smokers was evident for all ranks and ages. Reported use of smokeless tobacco and cigar/pipe smoking indicated that one-fifth of the cigarette smokers also use smokeless tobacco and that two-fifths of the cigarette users smoke a pipe or cigar. Among non-smokers of cigarettes, about one-tenth of the respondents used smokeless tobacco and/or smoked a pipe or cigars. Using self-evaluation of health status, non-smokers reported "excellent" health significantly more than smokers.

This paper presents data on substance use by military personnel from a series of worldwide surveys conducted in 1985, 1982, and 1980 with primary emphasis on the 1985 survey. Estimates are based on responses from participants serving on active duty in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force. Results for 1985 indicate pervasive use of alcohol, substantial use of tobacco, and low nonmedical use of drugs among military personnel. Average daily consumption of alcohol declined significantly from 1.4 ounces in 1982 to 1.2 ounces in 1985, but the patterns of use remained relatively constant. Nonmedical drug use during the past 30 days declined significantly, from 27.0% in 1980, to 19.0% in 1982, to 8.9% in 1985. Cigarette smoking declined significantly from 51.4% in 1982 to 46.2% in 1985. Current alcohol and drug use is concentrated among younger, less educated, unmarried, and junior and mid-career enlisted personnel. Cigarette pack years are higher among males, whites, those with less than a high school education, and senior enlisted personnel. Results show progress in reducing drug use and smoking in the military, but little change in patterns of alcohol use. New initiatives and approaches by the military to further reduce substance abuse are discussed.

In this paper we have sought to identify differences in alcohol consumption patterns and problems among young adult males from white, black, and Hispanic ethnic groups entering drug treatment programs. In overall consumption patterns we found results similar to those obtained in general population studies. However, about one-third of the clients in all ethnic groups could be classified as heavier drinkers (drinking at least once a week and 4 or more drinks per drinking occasion) in the period immediately prior to treatment. About one-fourth of the clients in each ethnic group consumed a daily average of 2.5 ounces of absolute alcohol. Compared with the other ethnic groups, blacks were the most likely to be abstainers and reported regular alcohol use and drunkenness at later ages. Regardless of the pattern of development, similar proportions of the clients in all ethnic groups reported heavier drinking levels by age 21-30. Consistent with the current hypotheses in the literature, whites reported much higher levels of alcohol-related problems and prior treatment. Despite having similar levels of drinking, black and Hispanic ethnic groups did not appear to recognize alcohol as a problem or to report alcohol-related problems to the extent that whites did. Examination of drug-use patterns showed great variation in the nature and extent of drug use among the three ethnic groups. Whites were distributed among the seven patterns of use. Heroin use with cocaine, marijuana, and alcohol was the predominant pattern for blacks and Hispanics. Although the patterns of drug use differed greatly, these patterns were not differentially related to alcohol consumption or alcohol-related problems within ethnic groups. On the contrary, the drug-use patterns appeared to be a stronger predictor than ethnicity of use and problems. Multiple-nonnarcotic-users reported the highest levels of alcohol consumption and the greatest numbers of alcohol-related problems. This group typically reported the highest number of alcohol-related problems. Expression of a current need for treatment and a history of prior alcohol treatment were highest for black multiple-nonnarcotic-users. Our examination of the influences of family and friends was based on a limited number of questions available in the data. Heavier drinking was reported by clients who lived with friends, had family or friends who drank regularly, or had extensive involvement in the drug-use network, including drug sales. No ethnic differences were found.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)