Substance Use Prevention Efforts in the Military: An Overview of the IOM Report

A special Institute of Medicine (IOM) committee was convened and charged with producing a report on substance use in the military and military families.  Part of this charge was addressing prevention efforts.  This presentation summarizes the findings of the IOM report on the military’s efforts to prevent substance use, with particular attention to evidence-based prevention strategies used at the level of the Department of Defense (DoD) as well as branch level and active, reserve, and retired military.   Prevention is examined at stage of deployment (entry into military, pre-deployment, during deployment, post-deployment, and post-military), and extent to which military family members (spouse and children) participate in prevention efforts that are aimed at the military member.  The prevention strategies vary, including substance use screening, education, online education and counseling.  Currently, the primary emphasis is on screening.  Evidence for effectiveness is discussed as well as IOM recommendations for policy change regarding adoption of evidence-based prevention strategies, quality implementation, coordination across the military Service branches, and dissemination.