Evaluation of a Brief Tobacco Intervention in the US Military

Brief Tobacco Intervention (BTI). The group intervention was designed to include the components of effective tobacco control programs for military personnel, and specifically tailored to the Technical Training environment. The intervention is approximately 40 minutes and delivered in a group format (e.g., groups of 50 Airmen). The format of the BTI is meant to be interactive, utilizing the Socratic teaching style and eliciting participation through the principles of motivational interviewing. A series of open-ended questions, reflections, and decisional balance, were used to increases motivation to remain tobacco free.

The Airmen's Guide is 5×7 inches, 46 pages, with text and color illustration. The text covers the advantages of remaining tobacco-free after Basic Military Training, and the opportunity the ban provides to begin a lifetime without tobacco, focusing on cigarettes and smokeless tobacco. Information is included about challenges and coping suggestions for the times that Airmen are at particular risk of smoking. The text is supplemented by images created specifically for Airmen and designed to reinforce the messages that smoking: 1) is responsible for more fatalities than combat; 2) conveys a negative image to civilians; and 3) impedes military readiness and promotion through the ranks.

This booklet is a 36-page, comprehensive guide for quitting smoking with 7 pages dedicated to relapse-prevention.