Authors

Jamie Edwards¹;  ¹ OSGA, UK

Discussion

Military service is associated with tobacco and alcohol use, with the military environments being described as high-consumption environments, and there is a literature on military service as a causal factor in tobacco and alcohol consumption through the life course that links this to later life health outcomes. While there are exceptions, there is a general assumption across this literature that tobacco and alcohol usage is consistent over the life course following service. However, literature from social epidemiology emphasises the importance of situational factors in driving health behaviours such as smoking and drinking.

Russian military service has also long been associated with heavy tobacco and alcohol consumption. However, the academic literature on the links between military service and health behaviours is quite limited. This proposal would use data from the Russia Longitudinal Monitoring Survey to ask firstly: is there evidence to support the claim that mandatory military service in Russia has a causal impact on consumption of alcohol and tobacco amongst Russian men? Secondly, to ask how usage of tobacco and alcohol develops over the life course for men who have done military service as compared to men who have not? Finally, how does military service interact with factors that impact on tobacco and alcohol use such as e.g. class or income?