February 7, 2011 - The Department of Defense health officials will expand their efforts to help service members and their families quit smoking. Smoking rates among DoD personnel was at 31% in 2008 – significantly higher than the general population. TRICARE is now authorized to run a smoking cessation program that includes counseling, toll-free quitline help, free smoking cessation medications, and print/online educational materials. Web sources are also being used to reach servicemembers and their families, which they hope will allow for a greater coverage across the board. Recently, access to an online chat room function on the campaign website was expanded from active duty military personnel to include veterans and all TRICARE beneficiaries not eligible for Medicare.

For more information, please see: http://www.usmedicine.com/articles/dod-expands-smoking-cessation-efforts.html