Smoking History Predicts Service Failure

Dr. Eli S. Flyer and Dr. Mark Eitelberg have completed a study of 6,950 Navy recruits that shows 50 percent who smoked a pack of cigarettes or more a day before they enlisted failed to complete their enlistments. On the other hand, 37 percent of those who smoked less than a pack a day left the Navy early and only 27 percent who had been non-smokers dropped out. Of the population studied, 16 percent reported smoking a pack or more a day, 32 percent less than a pack daily, and 52 percent were non-smokers. Heavy smoking also was linked to high school and civil misbehavior, authority-related problems and criminal activities. The study suggests, therefore, that a history of heavy smoking before enlisting is only a symptom of underlying problems that can lead to attrition.