Self-rated health (SRH) is a useful indicator of general health in specific populations and can be used to propose interventions for Veterans after military service. However, there is scarce literature about SRH among Canadian Reserve Force Veterans and its relationship with demographic, health and occupational characteristics of this specific group.

What is this Research About?

This paper examines the self-rated health of Canadian Reserve Force Veterans and the impacts certain factors may have on their health. The factors examined included their demographic information (e.g., age at release, sex, education level and marital status); military service characteristics (e.g., length of service, rank at release and type of release); and Reserve Force class (i.e., Class A/B or C). 

What did the Researchers Do?

The researchers examined data from the 2013 Life After Service Studies survey to assess the association between the demographic characteristics, physical health, mental health, and military service characteristics and the self-rated health of the Reserve Class Veterans.  The Reserve Veterans included in the survey had released from 2003 to 2012.

What did the Researchers Find

• The study included 922 Reserve Class C Veterans and 476 Class A/B Veterans
• The overall prevalence of poor self-rated health was higher in Reserve Class C Veterans ( 13%) than Reserve Class A/B Veterans (7%)
• Reserve Class A/B Veterans had higher rates of poor self-rated health if:
  • they completed high school as highest level of education
  • they reported primarily physical health conditions (diabetes, arthritis, obesity, daily smoking)
• Reserve Class C Veterans have higher odds of poor self-rated health if they:
  • are single
  • they are more than 50 years old, whereas age was not significant for Class A/B
  • they reported both physical health conditions (arthritis, back problems, obesity) and mental health conditions (depression, anxiety, PTSD)
  • they were medically released, which is uncommon among Class A/B

Source

Reyes, J., Sweet, J., MacLean, M. et al. Characterization of occupational, demographic and health determinants in Canadian reservists veterans and the relationship with poor self-rated health. Health Qual Life Outcomes 18, 274 (2020).

https://hqlo.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12955-020-01516-8