Sex and occupational differences in hospitalization rates among Navy enlisted personnel

Comparisons of total hospitalization rates between enlisted Navy men and women who had been admitted to naval medical facilities from 1973 through 1975 showed considerably higher rates among women than men; however, pregnancy-related conditions accounted for nearly one-third of women's hospitalizations. Differences in rates between men and women diminished when comparisons were made across pay grades and within the traditional, nontraditional, and hospital corpsman occupational groups. Although female hospital corpsmen had the highest hospitalization rates, which were substantially higher than all other groups, male medical specialists also had higher rates for most diseases and injuries than men and women in other occupational groups. Women assigned to nontraditional occupations tended to have comparable hospitalization rates with women in clerical/administrative or traditional specialties. Specific diagnoses that accounted for the highest rates and largest numbers of days hospitalized also were identified.