Community Preventive Services Task Force Releases its 2018-2019 Report to Congress.

The Community Preventive Services Task Force (CPSTF) is pleased to share its latest report to Congress. The 2018-2019 Report to Congress: Supporting Community Health and National Security features the military’s success in reducing the prevalence of cigarette smoking. Between 2011 and 2015, tobacco use among service members decreased with the U.S. Department of Defense’s use of evidence-based strategies, including recommendations from the CPSTF.
Highlights from the report include

• Between 2011 and 2015, smoking rates decreased among service members in the Army (27% to 15%), Air Force (17% to 9%), Marine Corps (31% to 21%), and Navy (24% to 14%).
• The military used multiple interventions, including several recommended by the CPSTF to support tobacco cessation. These recommendations included smoke-free policies that limit where people can smoke and policies that removed military discounts for tobacco products.
• The tobacco product landscape has shifted to include products such as e-cigarettes and smokeless tobacco. Currently, one in eight active-duty service members use e-cigarettes. The CPSTF plans to consider interventions that address e-cigarettes and vaping as enough evidence for a CPSTF review becomes available.
• Between FY 2018 and FY 2019, the CPSTF issued 20 recommendations and findings across 10 topics including asthma, cancer, cardiovascular disease, health equity, mental health, nutrition, obesity, physical activity, pregnancy health, and violence.
• Evidence gaps are areas where more research is needed. The CPSTF identified five common evidence gaps across all interventions reviewed in fiscal years 2018 and 2019. Evidence gaps for selected interventions relating to cancer, health equity, mental health, and violence are also included in the report.