Military line leadership and tobacco control: perspectives of military policy leaders and tobacco control managers.
Despite progress in policy changes, tobacco use rates are still high in the military. Little is known about the views of those who create and implement tobacco control policies within the Department of Defense. These individuals determine what policy initiatives will be developed, prioritized, and implemented. We conducted key informant interviews with 16 service-level policy leaders (PLs) and 36 installation-level tobacco control managers (TCMs). PLs and TCMs believed that line leadership view tobacco control as a low priority that has minimal impact on successful mission completion. They also identified cultural factors that perpetuate tobacco use, such as low cost and easy accessibility to tobacco, smoke breaks, and uneven or unknown enforcement of current tobacco policies.
National Development and Research Institutes, Inc., Institute for Biobehavioral Health Research, 1920 West 143rd Street, Suite 120, Leawood, KS 66224, USA.
Walker S C
WS
Poston
Richard R
RR
Suminski
Kevin M
KM
Hoffman
Nattinee
N
Jitnarin
Joseph
J
Hughey
Harry A
HA
Lando
Amelia
A
Winsby
Keith
K
Haddock
D001290:Attitude; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D008889:Military Personnel / Q000523:psychology*; D012907:Smoking / Q000523:psychology*; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000523:psychology; D014481:United States