The Physical and Mental Health of Post-9/11 Female and Male Veterans: Findings from the Comparative Health Assessment, 2025, Dursa et al

The Physical and Mental Health of Post-9/11 Female and Male Veterans: Findings from the Comparative Health Assessment

Erin K. Dursa, Yasmin S. Cypel, William J. Culpepper, Paul A. Bernhard, and Aaron I. Schneiderman

Background
Females are the fastest-growing group in the veteran population, yet there is a paucity in the literature of sex-specific results from studies of chronic disease in veterans that limit our understanding of their health issues. This study provides nationally representative estimates of the physical and mental health of females and males from the Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation New Dawn (OEF/OIF/OND) veteran population.

Methods
Data from the 2018 Comparative Health Assessment Interview Research Study (CHAI), a cross-sectional nationwide survey of the health and well-being of OEF/OIF/OND veterans and a comparison sample of U.S. nonveterans, were analyzed to provide sex-stratified and deployment-stratified lifetime prevalence estimates and adjusted relative odds of physical and mental health conditions in a large population-based study of OEF/OIF/OND veterans.

Results
Overall, female veterans were significantly more likely to report cancer, respiratory disease, irritable bowel syndrome/colitis, bladder infections, vision loss, arthritis, back/neck pain, chronic fatigue syndrome, migraine, posttraumatic stress disorder, and depression. Male veterans were significantly more likely to report obesity, diabetes, heart conditions, hypertension, high cholesterol, hearing loss, fractures, spinal cord injury, sleep apnea, and traumatic brain injury. Both males and females who deployed were significantly more likely to report adverse health outcomes than those who did not deploy.

Conclusion
This article reports sex-stratified and deployment-stratified lifetime prevalence estimates and adjusted relative odds of physical and mental health conditions in a large population-based study of OEF/OIF/OND veterans. This study demonstrates the value of epidemiological research on female veterans and its importance in understanding the burden of disease in the female veteran population.

Link | PDF (Journal of Women's Health) [Open Access]

 

Some data on lifetime prevalence of "chronic fatigue syndrome" as determined by:

Female nondeployed: 4.6% (3.6–5.7)
Female deployed: 6.9% (6.0–7.8)

Male nondeployed: 2.0% (1.3–2.7)
Male deployed: 4.6% (4.1–5.2)

 

Didn’t some other study find that only half ot the people that have been told they have CFS, actually had it according to the criteria?

 

Interesting, good catch. I'll email the author.

 

The authors state that all statistics were weighted, except for the counts:

Each data table also contains the footnote "Weighted statistics except for count".

 

I haven't read this in detail, but I think this only gives prevalence for deployed and non-deployed veterans. The doctors these groups see might mainly treat veterans and thus are more familiar with GWI and related syndromes than regular doctors, so might be more likely to make that diagnosis.