ArticleAmerican journal of health promotion : AJHP
Mediatory myths in the U.S. military: tobacco use as "stress relief".
Article in American journal of health promotion : AJHP. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers.
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Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 23 citations in OpenAlex.
- Evaluating the Effects of a Brief Tobacco Intervention in the US Air Force.Nicotine & tobacco research : official journal of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco · 2020Trial
- Tobacco cessation strategies in military personnel: A meta-analysis of randomized trials.Preventive medicine reports · 2026Review
- Using the Socio-ecological Model to Explore Facilitators and Deterrents of Tobacco Use Among Airmen in Technical Training.Military medicine · 2022Article
- I smoke to cope with pain: patients' perspectives on the link between cigarette smoking and pain.Wiener klinische Wochenschrift · 2021Article
- "Nobody Views It As a Negative Thing to Smoke": A Qualitative Study of the Relationship Between United States Air Force Culture and Tobacco Use.Military psychology : the official journal of the Division of Military Psychology, American Psychological Association · 2021Article
- Tobacco use patterns and attitudes in Singapore young male adults serving military national service: a qualitative study.BMJ open · 2020Article
- Helping women veterans quit smoking: a qualitative analysis of successful and unsuccessful attempts.BMC women's health · 2020Article
- Pro-tobacco marketing and anti-tobacco campaigns aimed at vulnerable populations: A review of the literature.Tobacco induced diseases · 2019Review
- Socioecological Risk and Protective Factors for Smoking Among Active Duty U.S. Military Personnel.Military medicine · 2018Article
- Factors influencing cigarette smoking among soldiers and costs of soldier smoking in the work place at Kakiri Barracks, Uganda.Tobacco control · 2017Article
- Consequences of Inconsistency in Air Force Tobacco Control Policy.Tobacco regulatory science · 2017Article
- Banning cigarette smoking on US Navy submarines: a case study.Tobacco control · 2015Article
- "Throwing a rock at their armored tank": civilian authority and military tobacco control.BMC public health · 2014Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
2 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
purposeTo examine perceptions of military personnel about tobacco use.
designSecondary analysis of (1) focus group and (2) interview data.
settingU.S. military. SUBJECTS: Total participants (n = 241): Enlisted personnel, supervisors (n = 189 individuals participating in 23 focus groups), tobacco control managers, and policy leaders (n = 52 interview participants).
interventionNot applicable. MEASURES: Not applicable. ANALYSIS: Inductive, iterative coding for salient themes using an interpretive approach. Application of the concept of mediatory myths, used by institutions to cover over internal contradictions.
resultsAll types of participants endorsed the idea that tobacco was needed in the military for stress relief. Types of stress identified included fitting in, (relationships with coworkers and superiors) and control of workflow (taking breaks). Participants also discussed beliefs about the impact of tobacco on the military mission, and institutional sanction of tobacco use.
conclusionDespite tobacco's well-documented negative effects on fitness, the myth that tobacco relieves stress serves several institutional functions in the military. It serves to minimize perceptions of stress on the fitness of personnel, suggests that stress can be managed solely by individuals, and institutionalizes tobacco use. Growing recognition among military leadership that countering stress is essential to fitness offers an opportunity to challenge this myth.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.