Background: Planning for the future needs of Canadian veterans requires comprehensive and detailed data on the size of the Canadian veteran population and their health. This article describes current veteran population estimates and examines the health of two eras of veterans compared with the health of Canadians in general.
Data And Methods: This study describes the size and age structure of the Canadian veteran population forecasted by Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC). Veteran health was examined for two eras of Regular Force veterans. The health of earlier-era veterans (released between 1954 and 2003) was examined using the 2003 Canadian Community Health Survey. The health of recent-era veterans (released between 1998 and 2012) was examined using the 2013 Life After Service Survey. Health indicators for veterans were compared with the Canadian general population using age- and sex-adjusted rates and confidence intervals.
Results: The VAC forecast points to a stable population of about 600,000 veterans for the next decade, but a growing proportion will be older than 70 years old. Regular Force veterans of both eras had a higher prevalence than the Canadian general population of activity limitations and back problems, a lower prevalence of low income, and a similar prevalence of life stress and heavy drinking. Recent-era veterans had a higher prevalence than the Canadian general population of many more indicators-in particular, arthritis, self-rated mental health, depression and anxiety.
Discussion: Veterans differed from the Canadian general population in many areas of well-being, and recent-era veterans differed in more areas than earlier-era veterans. These results highlight the need for forecasting and planning, and for policy that is sensitive to these differences and incorporates health status changes as veterans age. Multiple data sources will be required to describe the future health needs of the entire Canadian veteran population.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Background: Nephrology has seen an uptake in transition to remote care delivery. The impact of telenephrology care on chronic kidney disease (CKD) progression is not well defined.
Methods: We analyzed data from patients naturally selected for telenephrology versus standard, in-person visits.
Intracerebral hemorrhage in CADASIL.
J Chin Med Assoc
January 2025
Institute of Clinical Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC.
Cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL) is the most common hereditary cerebral small vessel disease caused by mutations in the NOTCH3 gene. This review highlights the increasing recognition of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) as a significant manifestation of CADASIL, often predominantly characterized by ischemic strokes and vascular dementia. Recent studies indicate that the prevalence of ICH in CADASIL patients ranges from 0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFScoping review of veterans' disclosure of mental health concerns or medical conditions in the workplace and other settings: study protocol.
BMJ Open
December 2024
Business School, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia
Introduction: Veterans deal with 'unobservable' medical or mental health conditions, such as post-traumatic stress disorder, at higher rates than the general population. Disclosure of such conditions is important to provide social, emotional, medical and mental health support, but veterans may face challenges when deciding whether to disclose conditions, including fear of stigma or discrimination. Safe disclosure in the workplace is particularly important, as it allows employees to gain accommodations and enables employers to manage workplace health and safety effectively.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe MyLungHealth study protocol: a pragmatic patient-randomised controlled trial to evaluate a patient-centred, electronic health record-integrated intervention to enhance lung cancer screening in primary care.
BMJ Open
December 2024
Department of Biomedical Informatics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.
Introduction: Early lung cancer screening (LCS) through low-dose CT (LDCT) is crucial but underused due to various barriers, including incomplete or inaccurate patient smoking data in the electronic health record and limited time for shared decision-making. The objective of this trial is to investigate a patient-centred intervention, MyLungHealth, delivered through the patient portal. The intervention is designed to improve LCS rates through increased identification of eligible patients and informed decision-making.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnhancing representation of special populations: An approach to the inclusion of women veterans in VA clinical trials.
Contemp Clin Trials
January 2025
VA HSR Center for Innovation to Implementation (Ci2i), VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA, USA; Division of Primary Care and Population Health, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
The under-recruitment of historically marginalized populations into clinical trials thwarts equitable inclusion of individuals who could benefit from healthcare innovations and limits the generalizability of results. For decades, the Veterans Health Administration (VA) has conducted large clinical trials that impact clinical guidelines for veterans and civilians alike. Within the VA, women are a numeric minority, and recruitment of this population into trials is challenged by gender-specific care structures, distinct demographic characteristics, and mistreatment such as higher rates of military sexual trauma and harassment on VA grounds.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!