Thread by @RANDCorporation

The Health Related Behaviors Study (HRBS) is the flagship Department of Defense survey for understanding the health and well-being of military service members.

Here are the latest results.⬇️ [thread] bit.ly/3b4Eoy3

The HRBS asks questions about health-related issues that can affect force readiness or the ability to meet the demands of military life.

These findings represent some of the most up-to-date information about the health of U.S. military personnel.

For an overview, here's a research brief with findings and policy implications for the active component:
bit.ly/3nuxO8G

And here are results for the reserve component: bit.ly/3xAocya

We've broken out findings for both the active and reserve components across these topics:

🔸health promotion/disease prevention
🔸substance use
🔸mental/emotional health
🔸physical health
🔸sexual behavior & health
🔸sexual orientation & health
🔸deployment experiences & health

We've also collected information on health readiness for different service branches. The following infographics cover the active component.

Here are results for Air Force respondents: bit.ly/3xzsrts

Army respondents: bit.ly/3u3shbF

Marine Corps respondents: bit.ly/3t5afVg

Navy respondents: bit.ly/3vptgDs

And respondents from the Coast Guard: bit.ly/3nz7WZp

Overall, U.S. military service members are mostly healthy. But the level of risky behaviors—such as binge drinking, tobacco use, and unprotected sex—is cause for concern.

“It is discouraging that rates of heavy alcohol use, binge drinking, & STIs in the military have gone up since 2015. Even more troubling are things like tobacco use & e-cigarettes that are trending down in the general population, yet on the rise in the military.” — @SarahOMeadows

There's much more to explore, including:
🔸full reports for both the active and reserve components
🔸comparisons between the two components
🔸a look at how things have changed since the last survey in 2015

bit.ly/3e0Obqt /end