MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- The Department of Defense military health system has identified tobacco use adversely affects mission readiness and is a leading preventable health concern for service members.

Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton offers free courses for service members, dependents and DoD civilians in the fight against tobacco use.

“The use of tobacco products affects service members in more ways than they may think,” said Julius Phillips, public health educator, Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton. “Marines and sailors have heard that smoking can cause diseases such as cancer, high blood pressure and emphezyma. But it affects mission readiness.”

Tobacco use can make a combat environment more difficult for Marines and sailors because it affects concentration, coordination, eyesight and stamina, Phillips explained.

NHCP has offered a tobacco cessation course for many years, but Phillips, the instructor of the class, changed the curriculum from four sessions to one to make it more convenient.

The class differs from other tobacco cessation programs by having all the information given in a two-hour class that only needs to be taken once, Phillips said.

“What we do is create a profile. We figure out why the service member smokes and if it is a physical or mental addiction,” he explained. “After that we write out a 30-day calendar to help in overcoming the addiction. We give out all the information a smoker needs physically and mentally to quit.”

The information describes adverse health affects, how smoking is the cause of many preventable diseases, how changing routines can aid in quitting and how the mind is a strong factor in quitting.

Additionally, medication may be prescribed to smokers with a strong psychological addiction, Phillips added.

Phillips takes pride in the success rate of his tobacco cessation class.

“Our success rate is double that of most classes offered to the general public,” he said. “The reason is, we take a different approach by giving smokers all the information they need and allow them to make the choice.”

Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton offers the class 12 to 14 times a month with 10 students per class. The waiting period is about a week.

If service members are unable to make the class times, they can meet with Phillips on an individual basis.

“No one is shut out from getting the information they need to quit,” Phillips said. “Once a Marine or sailor signs up for a class, it is considered a medical appointment.”

In addition to the course at NHCP, service members can find information at many locations on base, including all medical clinics and the Paige Fieldhouse.