Objectives. To describe health-related behaviors or indicators associated with overall health and well-being using the Global Assessment Tool (GAT), a health behavior and psychosocial questionnaire completed annually by US Army personnel. Methods. We analyzed GAT responses from 2014 to 2018, consisting of 367 000 to 449 000 respondents per year. We used generalized estimating equations to predict the presence of each health behavior or indicator, aggregated by year and stratified on various demographics. Results. Key findings included decreases from 2014 to 2018 in risky health behaviors such as hazardous drinking (7.5% decrease) and tobacco use (7.9% decrease), dietary supplement use (5.0% to 10.6% decrease, depending on type), self-reported musculoskeletal injury (5.1% decrease), and pain interference (3.6% decrease). Physical activity, sleep, and nutritional habits largely remained consistent over time. Conclusions. In the Army, tobacco, alcohol, and risky dietary supplement usage appears to be declining, whereas lifestyle health behaviors have been stable. Whether these trends reflect responses to health education is unknown. The GAT provides useful insights into the health of the Army, which can be leveraged when developing health-related educational programs and policies. Public Health Implications. Health behaviors that have changed less over time (e.g., nutrition, sleep) may require novel approaches compared with those that changed more (e.g., dietary supplement use, drinking). (Am J Public Health. Published online ahead of print September 9, 2021: e1–e11. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2021.306456 )
Individuals often use dietary supplements (DSs) to enhance performance without knowing the potential dangers. Therefore, Operation Supplement Safety developed a safety rating scorecard to help individuals independently assess DS, by using 7 simple criteria. Dietary supplements that met at least 4 of the 7 criteria were classified as “less risky” compared with those scoring less than 4. We assessed the accuracy and reliability of a DS safety rating scorecard, when coupled with a DS educational session. Adults with a mean age of 46 years attended two sessions. Session I included a general overview of DS, education on DS safety, and instructions on how to use the DS scorecard. Participants then independently scored 12 DSs. During session II, participants rescored the same 12 DSs and participated in a focus group. Completed DS scorecards were analyzed for accuracy and reliability both between participants and across sessions. More than 86% of participants correctly classified the DSs using the scorecard. When provided a brief session on DS education, participants could reliably use the scorecard to correctly classify DSs as “risky” or “less risky.” Education is key for assisting individuals to make more informed decisions about DSs.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.