15 Cigarettes had been regarded as a physical and moral hazard, 16 but by 1918, previously anticigarette organizations and the military were giving them to troops.

Tobacco companies have targeted US military personnel 14 since World War I. 12 We mined internal tobacco industry documents to explore how tobacco industry and military activity during this period may have contributed to this increased tobacco use. 10, 11ĭuring the first Gulf War (1990–1991), smoking prevalence rose among deployed US Naval personnel 12 and US Air Force women, 13 and US Navy personnel who were already tobacco users increased their use. 7 Smoking diminishes even short-term troop health and readiness 8, 9 and increases medical and training costs. 6 The Veterans Health Administration estimates that veterans also have significantly higher rates of smoking than do civilians. 4 Recruits are more often established smokers than are those who do not enlist, 5 and despite mandatory abstinence from tobacco use during basic training, subsequent relapse or new uptake is common. 2 The military population of 1.4 million active duty service members skews toward likely smokers: young adults, high-school educated, and African Americans 3 near the typical age of smoking uptake. 1 Prevalence decreased between 19 (51.0% to 29.9%) 1 however, it has increased since then. DESPITE DECLINES IN CIVILIAN smoking rates in the United States and tobacco control efforts in the US military, tobacco use prevalence in the military remains high, at 32.2% in 2005.

World war 2 us navy sea bea trunk