Sexual assault (SA) within the military is a major public health problem, impacting over 25,000 Service members. SA can have serious consequences for the victims and can negatively affect productivity, mission readiness, and overall Service members’ well-being. The number one factor that increases a Service member’s risk of being sexually assaulted is experiencing sexual harassment (SH). Both SA and SH can be prevented by implementing prevention programs that we know work; however, no prevention program that utilizes behavior change theories or other strategies that have been scientifically proven to change behavior has been developed specifically for the military. The goal of this study is to develop and evaluate an innovative online SH and SA prevention program, named Building a Better workplace (BBW) 2.0. At the conclusion of this study, we will have developed a theory- and scientifically based SH and SA prevention program that targets Junior Enlisted Services members (ranked E1-E4), Supervisors (ranked E5 or above), and Installation norms and can easily be used at other installations. BBW 2.0 will have an immediate and long-term impact on Service members’ health and well-being, mission readiness, and productivity by increasing their knowledge and skills to build and sustain healthy relationships, ultimately reducing incidences of SH and SA in the military. |
