<p> This project analyses data from the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) to compare the healthcare needs of veterans with those who never served in the military. This project will attempt to elucidate if military service creates poorer outcomes and subsequently a greater need for healthcare services for those who enlist. The project will test eleven hypotheses which are indicators of health status for both veteran and non-veteran respondents. For all hypotheses, the independent variable will be if the respondent has ever served in the United States Military. The eleven dependent variables are as follows: respondent self-reported health status, current and former tobacco use, likelihood of alcohol abuse, likelihood the respondent is overweight or obese, prevalence of heart disease, prevalence of diabetes, prevalence of hypertension, state of emotional health, state of work, family, and social relationships, marital status, and income status. All eleven hypotheses state that veterans' are more likely to experience poorer health outcomes than their civilian counterparts. </p><p> Analysis of all eleven outcomes had diversified results. Veterans were more likely to self-report poorer states of health, be former tobacco users, abuse alcohol, be overweight or obese, and have diagnoses of heart disease, diabetes or hypertension. This could be due to rigors of military service. It may also be increased access to healthcare services, enabling veterans to receive medical diagnoses. Conversely, veterans were less likely to be current tobacco users, self-report better emotional health, self-report better relationships, more likely to be married, and have higher incomes. This could be because the military in some facets acts as a health protector. It could also be due to the highly stigmatized perceptions of mental illness or dysfunction. This project finds several reasons veterans may need more healthcare services, but also finds further research on this topic is necessary.</p>
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:PROQUEST/oai:pqdtoai.proquest.com:1586163 |
| Date | 21 April 2015 |
| Creators | Martinez, Jessica |
| Publisher | California State University, Long Beach |
| Source Sets | ProQuest.com |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | thesis |
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