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Perceived insufficient rest or sleep among veterans: Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System 2009
Paul M Faestel1, Christopher T Littell, Michael V Vitiello
1Department of Preventive Medicine, Madigan Healthcare System, Tacoma, WA, USA. paul.faestel@us.army.mil
Summary
Veterans experience more sleep problems than non-Veterans, including insufficient rest and short sleep duration. Targeted interventions are needed for high-risk Veteran subgroups, such as younger individuals and those with poor health.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Sleep Medicine
- Military Health
Background:
- Sleep problems are prevalent in active duty military due to demanding schedules and deployments.
- Inconsistent sleep impacts performance and well-being.
- Limited research exists on sleep problem prevalence differences between Veterans and non-Veterans.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if self-reported insufficient rest or sleep differs between Veterans and demographically similar non-Veterans.
- To identify high-risk subgroups of Veterans experiencing sleep problems.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the 2009 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS).
- Assessed insufficient rest in 411,313 adults (55,361 Veterans) and sleep duration in a subset.
- Employed model-based direct rate adjustment and multivariable logistic regression.
Main Results:
- Veterans reported higher rates of insufficient rest or sleep (22.7% vs. 21.1%) and short sleep duration (34.9% vs. 31.3%) compared to non-Veterans.
- No significant sleep difference was found between newly transitioned and longer-term Veterans.
- High-risk Veteran subgroups included younger adults (21-44), women, non-whites, smokers, obese individuals, those unable to work, and those in poor health.
Conclusions:
- Veterans face a substantial burden of sleep problems.
- Specific Veteran subgroups require targeted interventions and education for insufficient sleep.
- Findings highlight the need for tailored sleep health strategies within the Veteran population.
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