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Association Between Self-Reported Disability and Lifetime History of Traumatic Brain Injury With Loss of
Kelly Sarmiento1, Dana Waltzman, Jill Daugherty
1Division of Injury Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Atlanta, Georgia (Ms Sarmiento and Drs Waltzman and Daugherty); Disability Science and Program Team, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Atlanta, Georgia (Dr Okoro); and Injury and Violence Prevention Branch, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health, Raleigh (Mr Proescholdbell).
Background:
Compared with civilians, service members and veterans who have a history of traumatic brain injury (TBI) are more likely to experience poorer physical and mental health. To investigate this further, this article examines the association between self-reported history of TBI with loss of consciousness and living with 1 or more current disabilities (ie, serious difficulty with hearing, vision, cognition, or mobility; any difficulty with self-care or independent living) for both veterans and nonveterans.
Methods:
A cross-sectional study using data from the North Carolina Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System for 4733 veterans and nonveterans aged 18 years and older.
Results:
Approximately 34.7% of veterans residing in North Carolina reported having a lifetime history of TBI compared with 23.6% of nonveterans. Veterans reporting a lifetime history of TBI had a 1.4 times greater risk of also reporting living with a current disability (adjusted prevalence ratio = 1.4; 95% confidence interval, 1.2-1.8) compared with nonveterans. The most common types of disabilities reported were mobility, cognitive, and hearing.
Conclusions:
Compared with nonveterans, veterans who reported a lifetime history of TBI had an increased risk of reporting a current disability. Future studies, such as longitudinal studies, may further explore this to inform the development of interventions.
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