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Duty, Honor, Country, Disparity: Race/Ethnic Differences in Health and Disability Among Male Veterans

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  • Connor Sheehan
  • Robert Hummer
  • Brenda Moore
  • Kimberly Huyser
  • John Butler

Abstract

Given their unique occupational hazards and sizable population, military veterans are an important population for the study of health. Yet, veterans are by no means homogeneous, and there are unanswered questions regarding the extent of, and explanations for, racial and ethnic differences in veterans’ health. Using the 2010 National Survey of Veterans, we first documented race/ethnic differences in self-rated health and limitations in activities of daily living among male veterans aged 30–84. Second, we examined potential explanations for the disparities, including socioeconomic and behavioral differences, as well as differences in specific military experiences. We found that Black, Hispanic, and other/multiple race veterans reported much worse health than White veterans. Using progressively adjusted regression models, we uncovered that the poorer self-rated health and higher levels of activity limitations among minority veterans compared to Whites were partially explained by differences in their socioeconomic status and by their military experiences. Minority veterans are a vulnerable population for poor health; future research and policy efforts should attempt to better understand and ameliorate their health disadvantages relative to White veterans. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2015

Suggested Citation

  • Connor Sheehan & Robert Hummer & Brenda Moore & Kimberly Huyser & John Butler, 2015. "Duty, Honor, Country, Disparity: Race/Ethnic Differences in Health and Disability Among Male Veterans," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 34(6), pages 785-804, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:poprpr:v:34:y:2015:i:6:p:785-804
    DOI: 10.1007/s11113-015-9358-9
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Kelly Bedard & Olivier Deschênes, 2006. "The Long-Term Impact of Military Service on Health: Evidence from World War II and Korean War Veterans," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 96(1), pages 176-194, March.
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    6. Kimberly Huyser & Arthur Sakamoto & Isao Takei, 2010. "The Persistence of Racial Disadvantage: The Socioeconomic Attainments of Single-Race and Multi-Race Native Americans," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 29(4), pages 541-568, August.
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    Cited by:

    1. Stephanie D. Ansley & Jeffrey T. Howard, 2021. "Dietary Intake and Elevated C-Reactive Protein Levels in US Military Veterans," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(2), pages 1-15, January.
    2. Heather M. Rackin, 2017. "Comparing Veteran and Non-veteran Racial Disparities in Mid-life Health and Well-being," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 36(3), pages 331-356, June.
    3. Connor M. Sheehan, 2019. "Education and Health Conditions Among the Currently Incarcerated and the Non-incarcerated Populations," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 38(1), pages 73-93, February.

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