title: Smoking and injury in Royal Marines' training.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Training for the Royal Marines (RMs) is considered to be one of the most arduous military training regimes in the world. Approximately 16% of the annual intake of recruits suffer an injury. Smoking has been found to be a predisposition to injury.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To examine the relationship between recruits' smoking status on entry to training and subsequent incidence of injury.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective, longitudinal analysis of 1 year's intake of RM recruits at Commando Training Centre Royal Marines.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A significantly greater proportion of RM recruits who were smokers on entry to training experienced a physical injury during the course than their non-smoking counterparts (chi-square = 8.15, P < 0.01). A recruit who smoked on entry to training was almost twice as likely to acquire an injury during training [relative risk = 1.7 (95% CI = 1.2-2.8)].
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Smoking status of RM recruits in training was significantly associated with injury.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Naval Medicine, Alverstoke, Gosport, Hampshire, UK. hsohf2@inm.mod.uk
authors.forename: Kathy
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Munnoch
authors.forename: Robert S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Bridger
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008889:Military Personnel / Q000193:education*; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*