Health Goals of United States Army Soldiers- What They Want

This study examined the personal health goals and needs of 1,299 soldiers during their periodic health exam at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, from January 1 to December 31, 1990. The two most important goals of this population were improving self-esteem (50%) and family relationships (43%). In contrast, smoking cessation (17%) and avoiding problems with alcohol (4.3%) were listed 14th and 19th priority, and were desired by only 56% and 61%, respectively, of those who needed help in these areas. Differences between soldiers' health goals and health needs must be considered when designing successful health-promotion programs.

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