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| Britain |
| Urgent action is needed to tackle smoking in armed forces |
| 2004-01-27 |
| The high percentage of UK military personnel who smoke warrants urgent action, concludes a new study, which shows that the smoking rates increased even further while troops were deployed in Iraq. The study, which was based on a survey of some 600 army staff working in a field hospital in Iraq and is reported in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, found that some 34% of "regulars" smoked. This percentage considerably exceeds the government’s target to reduce the percentage of the whole population that smokes to 26% by 2005. The study shows that the percentage of smokers increased to 42% after the unit was deployed to Iraq and that only around one in three staff could remember having been given any health education about smoking during their military service. Nanny alert! Snipped here. |
| Posted by:Chuck Simmins |
| #7 Actually, the plastic pack wrappers are a critical element for the treatment of a "sucking chect wound," which is common in combat. Many will die now. Shipman, I actually wanted to make a comment about the changing definition of a sucking chest wound with respect to the women an combat atricle, but I was too afraid. Have I lost the edge? |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2004-1-27 9:23:47 PM |
| #6 Oh my God! They're SMOKING! |
| Posted by: tu3031 2004-1-27 8:53:20 PM |
| #5 How nice- give somebody an automatic weapon, then take away his cigarettes. Way to go! |
| Posted by: Dave D. 2004-1-27 8:03:58 PM |
| #4 I go both ways on this. If the "health Nazis" are true when they speak of the effects on the body, there's no question -- the soldier must remain fit at all times, due to the nature of his mission, and anything that impairs it (especially his respiratory functions) ... Of course, they could find something else to help with the stress ... |
| Posted by: Lu Baihu 2004-1-27 7:51:38 PM |
| #3 Hitler was ready to ban smoking in the armed forces when the war intervened....and for sake of morale the crusade was delayed... _________________________________borgboy |
| Posted by: borgboy 2004-1-27 6:53:36 PM |
| #2 Well, it's quite obvious. Wars lead to smoking. Therefore to cut smoking the UK will now outlaw War. |
| Posted by: Daniel King 2004-1-27 5:22:42 PM |
| #1 ROFLMAO. It's too stupid too comment on. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-1-27 4:55:53 PM |