According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the three leading causes of preventable death in the U.S. are:
- tobacco use,
- bad eating habits paired with physical inactivity,
- and alcohol abuse.
In 2005, the Department of Defense launched the Healthy Choices for Life campaign which included three primary healthy lifestyle initiatives to address the increase in alcohol misuse and abuse, tobacco use and obesity among all TRICARE beneficiaries:
A pilot project at eight U.S. military installations studied the impact of a web-based educational tool used to assess active duty service members' knowledge of and attitudes toward alcohol use. The tobacco cessation and weight management demonstrations were comprehensive behavioral interventions that included prescription medications to assist TRICARE Prime beneficiaries in decreasing their use of tobacco and maintaining a healthy weight. These health promotion activities were primarily aimed at disease prevention and the adoption of the healthy behaviors while testing the effectiveness of benefits that are not currently covered by TRICARE.
The Department of Defense is assessing the recommendations and results from these studies and new information on future studies will be posted as it's available. Check back for updates!
