New study compares health of vets, civilians

New study compares health of vets, civilians
By Patricia Kime
Staff writer
Posted : Friday Aug 3, 2012

Male veterans are more likely than civilians to have two or more chronic health conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure or asthma, according to a Centers for Disease Control report released Wednesday.

But male veterans are only slightly more likely to report issues related to psychological stress than those who never served.

In general, veterans aged 25 to 64 reported their health as “poor to fair” at rates higher than their civilian counterparts, 16 percent versus 10 percent. The widest disparity was among the 45 to 64 age group: 17 percent of male veterans described their health as either poor or fair — as opposed to good, very good or excellent — while just 12 percent of civilian males said their health was poor or fair.

Regarding psychological stress, a condition the CDC says could indicate a diagnosable mental condition, fewer than 5 percent of both veterans and nonveterans reported any problems, although the percentages among veterans still were slightly higher across the board for all age groups.
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