Gender Differences in Occupational and Non-Occupational Injuries in the U.S. Army

Purpose: Injuries to military women outside of BASIC training or in non-occupational settings have not been well documented. This study compares occupational and non-occupational injuries between male and female US Army soldiers by examining hospitalization rates for injuries occurring in the first 11 months of service.

Methods: The US Army's Total Army Injury & Health Outcomes Database was searched for hospitalized injuries (codes 800-989.8) occurring to active-duty Army personnel between 1992-2002. Characteristics of injuries occurring while on-duty, off-duty, and during scheduled training were compared between the genders. Injury rates were calculated using Army population data.

Results: Included were 5,678 soldiers with an injury hospitalization rate of 14.6/1,000 soldiers. Women were significantly more likely than men to experience an injury during scheduled training (25% and 12%, p<0.0001). There were no differences between the genders in the frequency of off-duty injuries (16% men, 15% women, p=0.23); however, men were more likely to get injured due to sports/athletics (p=0.001) and due to fighting (p=0.017) while off-duty. Women had significantly longer average hospital stays compared to men for injuries occurring during scheduled training (p=0.002). Men had longer average hospital stays for off-duty injuries (men=7.6 days, women=5.9 days; p=0.22). Even though women generally had longer average hospital stays, they did not have more severe injuries as measured by ISS.

Conclusions: Physical training scenarios are the most dangerous injury risk period for military women. Attention should be paid to reducing men's off-duty injuries as they are more severe and require longer hospital stays than on-duty injuries.