Video game to help smoking soldiers quit
AN interactive video game will help soldiers quit smoking, according to a US cancer researcher.
The game, Project Combat, will feature animated audio and video interactive activities that aid soldiers in dealing with peer pressure, withdrawal and relapse.
Behavioural science professor Alexander Prokhorov said that instances of smoking in the armed forces are due to soldiers turning to cigarettes to ease the stress of military life.
“Wars boosted the use of tobacco. Research shows tobacco use in the military increased during World War II,” Mr Prokhorov told the Texas Medical Centre
“We are going to provide ways to help soldiers kick this destructive addiction or resist it in the first place.
“When the demands of combat duty increase the soldier’s level of pressure and stress, smoking becomes more tempting to both the former smoker and the soldier who has never smoked.”
About 2000 troops in Fort Hood, Texas will be the first to test the game which allows soldiers to create their own avatars that helps guide users through the program.
“The tobacco-use rates in the Army are alarming – 38 per cent of service members smoke cigarettes and 15 per cent use smokeless tobacco,” Mr Prokhorov.said
“Tobacco is typically regarded by young people as a dull subject.
“The video game-based education program is anything but boring.”
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