Table 1.
Distribution of Respondents by Characteristics: 2005 Department of Defense Survey of Health-Related Behaviors Among Military Personnel (Percent ±SEM)
| Characteristic | Army | Navy | Marine Corps | Air Force | Total DoD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total sample (N) | 3639 | 4627 | 3356 | 4524 | 16,146a |
| Weighted N | −321,576 | −270,908 | −128,589 | −290,779 | −1,011,852 |
| Gender | |||||
| Men | 85.7±1.98 | 85.7±1.04 | 93.9±0.60 | 80.4±1.17 | 85.2±0.94 |
| Women | 14.3±1.98 | 14.3±1.04 | 6.1±0.60 | 19.6±1.17 | 14.8±0.94 |
| Age (years) | |||||
| 17–20 | 17.6±2.13 | 12.8±1.25 | 21.8±1.82 | 7.9±0.98 | 14.1±0.64 |
| 21–30 | 51.9±3.65 | 50.2±0.60 | 60.6±2.75 | 47.3±2.58 | 51.2±1.86 |
| 31–39 | 20.4±3.05 | 25.4±1.25 | 14.2±2.06 | 30.6±1.51 | 23.9±1.14 |
| 40+ | 10.1±2.66 | 11.6±0.95 | 3.3±0.42 | 14.3±2.03 | 10.8±1.26 |
| Educational level | |||||
| High School or less | 37.0±3.42 | 38.1±1.93 | 51.1±1.71 | 19.1±2.45 | 33.9±1.12 |
| Some college | 40.7±1.45 | 43.0±1.13 | 36.9±2.18 | 51.9±3.76 | 44.1±1.05 |
| College degree or more | 22.3±2.80 | 18.9±1.76 | 11.9±1.47 | 28.9±6.09 | 22.0±1.96 |
| Race/ethnicityb | |||||
| Non-Hispanic white | 60.7±2.36 | 60.9±0.99 | 65.1±0.68 | 71.5±1.77 | 64.4±0.42 |
| Non-Hispanic black | 21.8±1.83 | 18.8±0.46 | 11.1±0.80 | 14.8±1.91 | 17.6±0.57 |
| Hispanic or Latino | 10.5±1.07 | 8.0±0.94 | 13.7±0.86 | 5.6±0.56 | 8.8±0.35 |
| Other | 7.0±0.41 | 12.4±0.65 | 10.1±0.69 | 8.2±0.45 | 9.2±0.16 |
| Marital status | |||||
| Married or living as married/partners | 50.0±3.14 | 54.0±1.73 | 48.6±1.51 | 62.6±2.11 | 54.5±0.96 |
| Single, not living as married or with partner | 50.0±3.14 | 46.0±1.73 | 51.4±1.51 | 37.4±2.11 | 45.5±0.96 |
| BMIc (weight status) | |||||
| <18.5 (underweight | 1.2±0.24 | 0.6±0.17 | 0.7±0.14 | 0.9±0.19 | 0.9±0.09 |
| 18.5–24.9 (normal weight) | 39.9±3.24 | 34.6±1.33 | 44.4±1.89 | 38.4±0.99 | 38.6±0.87 |
| ≥25.0–29.9 (overweight) | 48.9±2.35 | 46.4±0.89 | 47.8±1.29 | 47.2±0.82 | 47.6±0.78 |
| ≥30.0 (obese) | 10.0±1.14 | 18.4±0.69 | 7.0±0.94 | 13.5±0.35 | 12.9±0.35 |
Prevalence values adapted here with permission from Bray et al., 2006.4
The data for the DoD 2005 Health Behaviors Survey Among Active Duty Military Personnel was collected from April through August, 2005.
Data in italics were previously published in Bray et al.21 and are included here in modified form with permission of Military Medicine.
Race/ethnicity was self-selected and included White, Black, or African American, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander with a separate question about Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino. The results were grouped after the study into White/non-Hispanic, Black or African American/non-Hispanic, Hispanic or Latino, and Other based on respondent distribution.
Body–mass index (BMI), defined as weight in kilograms divided by squared height in meters, rounded to the nearest tenth, was calculated using respondents' self-reported height (in feet and inches) and weight (in pounds) without shoes. BMI <18.5 was considered underweight, BMI 18.5 to 24.9 equaled normal weight, BMI ≥25.0 to 29.9 was classed as overweight, and individuals with BMI >30.0 were considered obese. All individuals in the military meet adult body composition standards and were assessed for this study using adult BMI cut points.
SEM, standard error of the mean; DoD, Department of Defense.