Health Risk Behaviors of Afghanistan and Iraq War Veterans Attending College

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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 = 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 (ARBs) 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 = 1.31–2.35) and 1.48 (95% CI = 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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