An Investigation About Healthy Behaviors And Influencing Factors In The Population Of Chinese Air Force

The air-force is playing an important role in the modern warfare. Even though this population has an excellent health status, because of their facing with the military task of higher strength and more difficulty, they need to pay attention to maintain health and healthy behavior. Studying on the main health - related behaviors and the influencing factors among air-force populations will be benefit to provide scientific evidence and to promote the health behavior of air-force soldiers.In this study, a cross-sectional investigation focus on the status and distribution of health behaviors has been conducted among the populations of military pilots and parachutists. The main health behaviors of eating habit, personal hygiene behaviors, physical activity, behaviors of keep away from risk and treatment behaviors to event have been mentioned. The results of this research are described as following:1. Comparing with the pilot population, the parachutists had the socio-demographic characteristics of younger, shorter service time, lower education level, higher unmarried rate, more physical fitness training, lower mental health level and lower social support. The main unhealthy behaviors of them were the behavioral traits of having poor knowledge and technology of keeping away from risk, alcohol use, poor hygiene behaviors and smoking. Except for having the high rate of overweight, the pilot population's unhealthy behaviors were similar to the parachutists'.According to the results, we suggested that focus on different population, the different strategy of health behaviors intervention should be made.2. Unhealthy behaviors usually present the phenomenon of cluster or co-occurrence within an individual. The behaviors of smoking, alcohol consumption, physical inactivity, immature coping styles, lower social support and the poor behaviors of keeping away from risk are usually concomitance in the same persons. This shows that the unhealthy behaviors could form a vicious cycle. On contrary, it also suggested that an effective health interventions program could have the chance of improving different poor behaviors at the same time.3. The behaviors of keeping away from risk were very poor in air force population. The rates of wearing safety belts, taking part in the training of fire prevention and field survival were very lower. Maybe the ignoring of education of security in national population and army is the reason. It hints that safe-related practices should be conducted immediately during military training.4. The data showed that the behaviors of smoking, drinking are widespread in the air force population. The rates of smoking in parachutists and military pilots were about 42.0% and 47.8% respectively. The rates of drinking were about 77.0% and 93.4%.Both rates are higher than the standard of U.S Army 2002. The Logistic regression analysis revealed that the factors of education, service time, the type of settlement before conscription, social support and coping style are related to the behaviors of smoking and alcohol use. It hints that for prohibiting tobacco and alcohol use, the aim directly strategy should be carried out in this population.5. The population in air force also has the nice behaviors of diet and physical exercise. The rate of efficacious physical activity is higher than the standard of U.S Army 2002. Maybe the severe discipline carried out in the army is the influence factor. It hints that the two behaviors should be maintained in the army. And applied this experience, more healthy behaviors could be integrated in the life of military population.