Building strong and ready Army families: a multirisk reduction health promotion pilot study

A quasi-experimental prospective study was conducted to assess the stage of change progression and elimination of unhealthy behaviors among active duty Army soldiers and their spouses (N = 245) before and after attending a community-based wellness program. Significant differences in stage progression between the intervention group and a comparison group was seen in the fitness (p = 0.05) and communication risk categories (p = 0.03) immediately after the intervention; significant differences in stage progression in fitness (p = 0.05) and spirituality (p = 0.005) risk categories 6 months after baseline. There was a significant increase in seat belt use (p = 0.008), a decrease in reported tobacco use (p < 0.05), and a reduction in family stress (p = 0.06) and personal stress (p < 0.02) in the intervention group. Targeting multiple behavior changes and risk reduction in a single intervention program presents several challenges. In this pilot study, there were many positive nonsignificant trends in risk reduction that might translate into significant changes with a larger sample.