Jennifer Hawes-Dawson

2015 Health Related Behaviors Survey: Physical Health and Functional Limitations Among U.S. Active-Duty Service Members

The Health Related Behaviors Survey (HRBS) is the U.S. Department of Defense’s flagship survey for understanding the health, health-related behaviors, and well-being of service members. Fielded periodically for more than 30 years, the HRBS includes content areas—such as substance use, mental and physical health, sexual behavior, and postdeployment problems—that may affect force readiness or the ability to meet the demands of military life. The Defense Health Agency asked the RAND Corporation to revise and field the 2015 HRBS. In this brief, we review results for physical health and functional limitations. Specifically, we consider the prevalence of chronic medical conditions, such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels; physical symptoms, such as back or joint pain; and health-related functional limitations at work or at home. We note possible limitations to the data and implications of the findings. We make several comparisons to the overall U.S. population, including progress toward Healthy People 2020 (HP2020) objectives established by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Because the military differs notably from the general population (e.g., service members are more likely to be young and male) and service members must be in good health to join the military, these comparisons are offered only as a benchmark of interest.

2015 Department of Defense Health Related Behaviors Survey (HRBS)

The Health Related Behaviors Survey (HRBS) is the U.S. Department of Defenses flagship survey for understanding the health, health-related behaviors, and well-being of service members. In 2014, the Defense Health Agency asked the RAND Corporation to review previous iterations of the HRBS, update survey content, administer a revised version of the survey, and analyze data from the resulting 2015 HRBS of active-duty personnel, including those in the U.S. Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, Navy, and Coast Guard. This study details the methodology, sample demographics, and results from that survey in the following domains: health promotion and disease prevention; substance use; mental and emotional health; physical health and functional limitations; sexual behavior and health; sexual orientation, transgender identity, and health; and deployment experiences and health. The results presented here are intended to supplement data already collected by the Department of Defense and to inform policy initiatives to help improve the readiness, health, and well-being of the force.

2015 Health Releated Behaviors Survey: Deployment Experiences and Health Among U.S. Active-Duty Service Members

The Health Related Behaviors Survey (HRBS) is the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD)’s flagship survey for understanding the health, health-related behaviors, and well-being of service members. Fielded periodically for more than 30 years, the HRBS includes content areas—such as substance use, mental and physical health, sexual behavior, and postdeployment problems—that may affect force readiness or the ability to meet the demands of military life. The Defense Health Agency asked the RAND Corporation to revise and field the 2015 HRBS. In this brief, we review results for recent deployment experiences and health, including the frequency and duration of deployments, levels of exposure to combat-related experiences, the prevalence of deployment-related injuries, the prevalence of deployment-related substance use, and deployment-related mental and physical health.

2015 Health Related Behaviors Survey: Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Among U.S. Active-Duty Service Members

The Health Related Behaviors Survey (HRBS) is the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD)’s flagship survey for understanding the health, health-related behaviors, and well-being of service members. Fielded periodically for more than 30 years, the HRBS includes content areas—such as substance use, mental and physical health, sexual behavior, and postdeployment problems—that may affect force readiness or the ability to meet the demands of military life. The Defense Health Agency asked the RAND Corporation to revise and field the 2015 HRBS. In this brief, we review results for physical activity, weight status, routine medical care, complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), sleep health, and supplement use, as well as several health-related risk behaviors, including sedentary time (measured by hours of electronic game play), energy drink use, and texting or emailing while driving. We also note possible limitations to the data and implications of the findings. Collectively, we refer to these health outcomes as part of a larger process of health promotion and disease prevention, which themselves are related to readiness among service members. We make several comparisons to the overall U.S. population, including progress toward Healthy People 2020 (HP2020) objectives established by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Because the military differs notably from the general population (e.g., service members are more likely to be young and male) and service members must be in good health to join the military, these comparisons are offered only as a benchmark of interest.

2015 Health Related Behaviors Survey: Mental and Emotional Health Among U.S. Active-Duty Service Members

The Health Related Behaviors Survey (HRBS) is the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD)’s flagship survey for understanding the health, health-related behaviors, and well-being of service members. Fielded periodically for more than 30 years, the HRBS includes content areas—such as substance use, mental and physical health, sexual behavior, and postdeployment problems—that may affect force readiness or the ability to meet the demands of military life. The Defense Health Agency asked the RAND Corporation to revise and field the 2015 HRBS. In this brief, we review results for mental and emotional health. We summarize conclusions, implications, and data limitations. We make several comparisons to the overall U.S. population, including the Healthy People 2020 (HP2020) objectives established by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Because the military differs notably from the general population (e.g., service members are more likely to be young and male than the general population), these comparisons are offered only as a benchmark of interest.

2015 Health Related Behaviors Survey: Sexual Behavior and Health Among U.S. Active-Duty Service Members

The Health Related Behaviors Survey (HRBS) is the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD)’s flagship survey for understanding the health, health-related behaviors, and well-being of service members. Fielded periodically for more than 30 years, the HRBS includes content areas— such as substance use, mental and physical health, sexual behavior, and postdeployment problems—that may affect force readiness or the ability to meet the demands of military life. The Defense Health Agency asked the RAND Corporation to revise and field the 2015 HRBS. In this brief, we review results for sexual behavior and health. Sexual health is a key aspect of mental and physical well-being and includes behaviors and outcomes related to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), sexually transmitted infection (STI), healthy pregnancy, and prevention of unintended pregnancy, among others. It can affect the readiness of service members, especially if the behavior or outcome leads to a medical status that prevents a service member from being deployed (e.g., pregnancy), and can affect costs to the services (e.g., for treatment of STIs). Among specific topics we considered in the HRBS are risky sexual practices, contraceptive use and unintended pregnancy, and HIV testing. We note possible limitations to the data and implications of the findings. Where possible, we compare our findings to previous HRBS findings and U.S. population data, including progress toward Healthy People 2020 (HP2020) objectives established by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Because the military differs notably from the general population (e.g., service members are more likely to be young and male) and service members must be in good health to join the military, these comparisons are offered only as a benchmark of interest. Methods: