Caring for military spouses in primary care.

Purpose: To provide primary care providers with knowledge of unique challenges faced by military families. By understanding how military families cope with military lifestyle and deployment, providers can be more effective in their care of these patients and offer assistance in optimizing their health.

Data Sources: Research articles, World Wide Web search of resources for military families and Department of Defense documents.

Factors influencing a health promoting lifestyle in spouses of active duty military.

The purpose of this study was to understand the factors influencing the health promoting behaviors (HPBs) of military spouses. Pender's Health Promotion Model provided the theoretical framework guiding this study. One hundred twelve female spouses were surveyed regarding their perceived health status, perceived stress, self-efficacy, social support, and participation in HPBs.