Socio-cultural factors that foster use and abuse of alcohol among a sample of enlisted personnel at four Navy and Marine Corps installations.

Rates of heavy drinking are consistently higher among U.S. military personnel than among civilians, particularly among young male personnel. In addressing drinking in the military, more information is needed on contextual factors influencing drinking to better understand the conditions that lead to or facilitate drinking. Results from 15 focus groups conducted with enlisted personnel at 2 Navy and 2 Marine Corps installations as part of formative research for an alcohol abuse prevention trial are reported in this article. The study explored the "drinking climate" of each installation in terms of shared attitudes and recognized norms regarding alcohol use and installation personnel's general understanding of policies concerning alcohol consumption. Analysis revealed several contextual factors that add to our understanding of drinking behaviors.

Behavior and food consumption pattern of the population exposed in 1949-1962 to fallout from Semipalatinsk nuclear test site in Kazakhstan.

The relationship between radiation exposure from nuclear weapons testing fallout and thyroid disease in a group of 2,994 subjects has been the subject of study by the US National Cancer Institute. In that study, radiation doses to the thyroid were estimated for residents of villages in Kazakhstan possibly exposed to deposition of radioactive fallout from nuclear testing conducted by the Soviet Union at the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site in Kazakhstan between 1949 and 1962. The study subjects included individuals of both Kazakh and Russian origin who were exposed during childhood and adolescence. An initial dose reconstruction used for the risk analysis of Land et al. (Radiat Res 169:373-383, 2008) was based on individual information collected from basic questionnaires administered to the study population in 1998. However, because data on several key questions for accurately estimating doses were not obtained from the 1998 questionnaires, it was decided to conduct a second data collection campaign in 2007. Due to the many years elapsed since exposure, a well-developed strategy was necessary to encourage accurate memory recall. In our recent study, a focus group interview data collection methodology was used to collect historical behavioral and food consumption data. The data collection in 2007 involved interviews conducted within four-eight-person focus groups (three groups of women and one group of men) in each of four exposed villages where thyroid disease screening was conducted in 1998. Population-based data on relevant childhood behaviors including time spent in- and outdoors and consumption rates of milk and other dairy products were collected from women's groups. The data were collected for five age groups of children and adolescents ranging from less than 1 year of age to 21 years of age. Dairy products considered included fresh milk and other products from cows, goats, mares, and sheep. Men's focus group interviews pertained to construction materials of houses and schools, and animal grazing patterns and feeding practices. The response data collected are useful for improving estimates of thyroid radiation dose estimates for the subjects of an ongoing epidemiological study.

An evaluation of a sexual assault prevention and advocacy program for U.S. Navy personnel.

To address the needs of Navy personnel (and dependents), the Navy implemented the Sexual Assault Victim Intervention (SAVI) program. The SAVI program has two components, namely, a presentation/training component and an advocacy component. The presentation/training component involves education designed to increase awareness and prevention of sexual victimization, delivered to all military and civilian personnel through presentations, and training of SAVI advocates. The advocacy component provides victims with professionally trained advocates who provide information and emotional support and help guide victims through various medical, legal, and investigative processes. Data are presented on (1) satisfaction with program quality, (2) how well the SAVI program met its primary objectives (e.g., helps program users cope with sexual trauma), (3) how well the SAVI program met its primary program objectives or reasons for being (e.g., helps service members concentrate on their jobs), and (4) program effects on mission-related outcomes (i.e., quality of life, readiness, and intended retention).

Counseling support within the Navy Mass Casualty Assistance Team post-September 11.

Prior to the terrorist attacks on the Pentagon and World Trade Center, the Navy Casualty Assistance mass casualty plan was undergoing transformations that were set in place to improve service quality and information flow among all process owners (Navy Leadership, Navy Casualty Assistance Office, Casualty Assistance Calls Officers (CACOs) and next of kin (NOK)). One component of the mass casualty plan was the establishment of a Counseling Support Cell--a group within the Casualty Assistance response team that would provide care and recovery support to team members, CACOs, and NOK. This paper outlines the major objectives of the Counseling Support Cell, phases of implementation, and the impact of our effort.