Background

The military has been widely known as an establishment where tobacco use is accepted and common. With respect to military fitness levels and performance, tobacco use impairs troop readiness and undermines the ability of active-duty personnel to complete a multitude of tasks that lie at the core of the military's mission.1 2 It is no surprise then that militaries across many nations in the world have made it a priority to reduce tobacco use among active-duty service members.3 In the specific case of Taiwan, the overall cigarette smoking rate for military personnel on active duty currently hovers around 44%, substantially exceeding that found in the civilian population (ie, 20%).4 Since 2004, the Department of Defense has collaborated with the Department of Health in enforcing an action plan to reduce smoking initiation and encourage cessation in Taiwan's military with detailed annual implementation goals aided by specific policy and administrative measures.4 5 Recently, the implementation of the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act in January 2009 (first passed in September 1997 and fully revised/updated in June 2007 within the provisions of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control) has reinvigorated government efforts …