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Department of Defense
Lifestyle Assessment Program (DLAP)
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For more than 20 years, the Department of Defense (DoD) has collected information regarding behavioral and health readiness of active duty military personnel through the Survey of Health Related Behaviors Among Military Personnel. In 2005, DoD initiated the Department of Defense Lifestyle Assessment Program (DLAP), which incorporates the active duty health behaviors study and expands the scope to include the National Guard and Reserves, as well as other special studies, the first of which examines Unit-level influences on alcohol and tobacco use. Findings from the program provide information on the fitness of the force, including estimates of alcohol, drug, and tobacco use; nutrition and physical activity; and critical assessments of emotional stress and other issues. Data are used to assess and document potential health and lifestyle issues pertaining to personnel, to track health-related trends, and to identify high-risk groups and areas needing additional screening or intervention. Results will help leaders better understand the nature, causes, and consequences of substance abuse and health practices in the military and to evaluate and guide programs and policy.

  • Active-Duty Survey: The 2008 Health Behavior Survey will be set within a comprehensive health promotion framework that examines (a) the practice of health behaviors-including a subset of those in Healthy People 2010 ; (b) the extent of alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use; (c) the association between substance use and negative consequences, such as effects on work performance, health, and social behavior; (d) the extent of other social problems that could adversely affect military personnel's well-being and readiness, and that could also be related to substance use; and (e) the degree to which demand for mental health services may be suppressed as a result of the attitudes and behaviors of active-duty personnel regarding the use of traditional mental health clinicians employed by the Military. Findings from the study will have substantial significance for understanding a wide range of health-related behaviors among military personnel. They will also help identify both the common needs of the Active Force and the distinct needs of each Service.

  • Reserve Component Survey: The 2006 Guard/Reserve Survey expanded the population base of the current DoD survey beyond the active duty force to incorporate the Guard/Reserve components of the military. These personnel are of particular interest in view of their key role in the Iraq conflict. Findings from the study will have substantial significance for understanding a wide range of health-related behaviors among Guard and Reserve component personnel. They also are helping to identify both the common needs of the reserves and the distinct needs of each component. Building on the health promotion framework noted above, the reserve component study also is comparing findings with active duty personnel to assess strengths, limitations, and special needs of reserve component personnel.

  • Unit-level influences: The principal goal of the 2006 Study of Unit-Level Influences on Alcohol and Tobacco Misuse was to provide in-depth detailed information concerning the individual-, unit-, and installation-level risk and protective factors for Alcohol/Tobacco misuse among active duty personnel. Recent data from the DoD Surveys have shown increases in the rates of heavy drinking and smoking, two behaviors known to reduce military readiness and to result in extensive costs to the military health system. The data from the Unit–Level Influences Survey are helping provide a better understanding of the effects of individual, unit, and installation-level factors on alcohol and tobacco use and to provide insights about new approaches for addressing these issues more effectively.

tjm@rti.org
Last Update: 25 January 2008

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