Publication year
2011
Citation Title
Health risk behaviors of Afghanistan and Iraq War veterans attending college.
Journal Name
American Journal of Health Promotion
Journal Volume
26
Issue Number
2
Page Numbers
101-108
DOI
10.4278/ajhp.090826-QUAN-278
Summary
Students (Veterans and non-Veterans) attending private and public two and four year colleges in Minnesota completed an online survey in order to describe patterns of students' health-related behaviors. After controlling for demographic variables, Veteran students reported more safety, tobacco, and alcohol-related risk behaviors compared to non-Veteran students.
Key Findings
Being an OEF/OIF Veteran had a greater association with recent high-risk drinking and riding in a car with someone who was impaired by alcohol compared to non-deployed Veterans and civilians.
Both previously deployed and non-deployed Veterans were less likely to report past month marijuana use compared to civilians.
Veterans who smoked cigarettes were more likely to report planning to quit before graduation compared to non-deployed Veterans and civilians.
Veterans were more likely to report engaging in strengthening exercises and less likely to have more than two hours of screen time a day compared to other Veterans and civilians.
Implications for Program Leaders
Consider forming partnerships with college mental health centers in to provide services for Service members who are enrolled in higher education.
Encourage professionals who work with military families to disseminate educational material about safety health behaviors (e.g., cigarette use, screen time, riding in a car with someone who is intoxicated)
Offer post-deployment workshops that focus on stress management and how to engage in healthy coping behaviors
Implications for Policy Makers
Support the development and continuation of programs that can promote resilience in Service members, especially after deployment
Recommend integrating stress management education into existing service delivery systems for military couples
Promote reintegration programs that include teaching healthy behaviors and coping to Service members’ family in adjusting to the Service member’s return
Methods
A random sample of students attending 15 different public and private, two- and four-year colleges in Minnesota and all the Veterans at these institutions were invited to complete an anonymous, web-based survey.
The survey asked questions about health behaviors (tobacco and alcohol use, safety, weight-related behaviors), and participants completed a measure of that assessed symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Data were analyzed to estimate the relationship between Veteran status and health risk behaviors.
Participants
Eight thousand six hundred fifty-one students (Veterans and non-Veterans) completed the survey.
Among the sub-sample of non-Veteran students (n = 6,750, 79%), 71% were female, 62% were less than 25 years old, 89% were White.
Among the sub-sample of the Veteran students (n = 1,901), 78% were male, 56% were 25-35 years old, and 89% were White.
No information on military rank or service branch of the Veteran sample was presented.
Limitations
The data were cross-sectional, therefore causal conclusions cannot be drawn.
The response rate was approximately 33%, and it is unknown how responders differ from non-responders.
The findings do not generalize widely and are primarily generalizable to the specific population from which it was drawn (largely White, Midwestern students).
Avenues for Future Research
Explore the impact of PTSD on health-related behaviors in military samples
Examine ways to effectively conduct health promotion activities for Service members and their families
Conduct clinical trials that study effectiveness of stress management interventions on healthy behaviors in military and civilian samples
Focus
Multiple Branches
Target Population
Population Focus
Military Branch
Military Component
Abstract
Purpose. The population of military veterans attending college is rapidly growing as veterans return from Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF). We sought to describe patterns of student veterans’ health-related behaviors and how they might differ from their nonveteran peers. Design. We analyzed data from the 2008 Boynton College Student Health Survey (CSHS). Setting. CSHS participants completed an anonymous online survey. Subjects. The CSHS sampled students (n 5 8651) attending public, private, 2-year, and 4-year postsecondary educational institutions in Minnesota. Measures. The CSHS included items on substance use (including alcohol and tobacco), safety, nutrition, and physical activity. Analysis. We described demographics of OEF/OIF veteran, non-OEF/OIF veteran, and nonveteran students and used Poisson regression to compute adjusted relative risks (ARRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to characterize associations between veteran status and health behaviors. Results. After controlling for demographics, veteran students reported more safety-, tobacco-, and alcohol-related risk behaviors compared to nonveteran students. For instance, compared to the nonveteran reference group, the ARR for past year smokeless tobacco use and physical fighting among for OEF/OIF veterans was 1.76 (95% CI 5 1.31–2.35) and 1.48 (95% CI 5 1.22–1.79) respectively. Veteran and nonveteran students display similar weight-related behaviors, though OEF/ OIF veteran students were more likely to engage in strengthening exercises. Conclusions. There are specific health risk behaviors that are particularly relevant for veterans attending postsecondary institutions. As veterans enroll in postsecondary education, there is a unique window of opportunity for health promotion in this population.
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