Changes over time in the "healthy soldier effect".

ABSTRACT:

Background

Death rates in military populations outside of combat are often lower than those in the general population. This study considers how this "healthy soldier effect" changes over time.

Methods

Standardized mortality ratios were used to compare changes in death rates relative to the Australian population in two large studies of Australian servicemen of the Korean War (n = 17,381) and the Vietnam War era (n = 83,908).

Results

The healthy soldier effect was most consistently observed in deaths from circulatory diseases. A large deficit in these deaths in the initial follow-up period (10-20 years) was observed before rates tended to rise to the level seen in the general population. There was no healthy soldier effect in deaths from external causes in enlisted pers

SUBMITTER: Waller M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3062595 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature