Service members are being asked to fill out an online survey about their health that could help the Defense Department spot possible health problems in the military.

The 2015 Health Related Behaviors Survey is an anonymous questionnaire, conducted by the RAND Corporation and ICF International, that members of military services, including the Coast Guard, can take online, the Air Force said in a Thursday release. Randomly-chosen service members are also receiving invitations via email or regular mail to take the survey, which is conducted every three years.

The survey is voluntary, will not ask any personally identifiable information, and takes about 40 minutes to complete online, the Air Force said. The release urged troops to be honest about their diet, exercise, stress and use or abuse of substances such as tobacco, drugs and alcohol. The release did not say when the survey will close, but said Defense will release a summary of the results after it is done.

"Through this anonymous survey information obtained is used to ensure we are providing the right kinds of guidance on services, programs, and support essential to maintaining a ready force which can be deployed at a moment's notice," Jonathon Woodson, the assistant secretary of Defense for health affairs and TRICARE Management Activity director, said in the release.

The survey asks service members, for example, about their exercise habits, health matters such as high blood pressure, and how physical and mental health issues affect their lives and productivity.

It also asks them how much they play video games, text or email while driving, and use energy drinks such as Red Bull.

Several questions are also geared toward measuring problems with alcohol in the military. For example, one question asks service members if they hit their spouse or significant other, landed in the brig, stockade, jail or hospital, were kicked out or left by their spouse or significant other, or received a punishment such as an Article 15 due to drinking.

And the survey asks about service members' sexual habits, as well as sexually transmitted diseases.

Stephen Losey is the air warfare reporter for Defense News. He previously covered leadership and personnel issues at Air Force Times, and the Pentagon, special operations and air warfare at Military.com. He has traveled to the Middle East to cover U.S. Air Force operations.

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