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300426
Use of psychotropic medication and contact with mental health professionals among community-dwelling men who served in the U.S. Armed Forces, NHANES 1999-2010
Monday, November 17, 2014
Steven Frenk, PhD
,
Division of Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Hayattsville, MD
Jessica Sautter, PhD
,
Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences, University of the Sciences, Philadelphia, PA
Ryne Paulose, PhD
,
Division of Health & Nutrition Examination Surveys, CDC National Center for Health Statistics, Hyattsville, MD
Joseph Woodring, DO, MPH, MTM&H
,
Division of Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Hayattsville, MD
Ellen Kramarow, PhD
,
Office of Analysis and Epidemiology, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Hayattsville, MD
Studies examining health and health care utilization among U.S. veterans often rely on non-representative samples, so their findings are not generalizable to community-dwelling veterans in the U.S. population. Our objective was to provide estimates of psychotropic medication use and contacts with mental health professionals among community-dwelling men who served in the U.S. Armed Forces. We used data from six cycles (1999-2010) of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), a cross-sectional, nationally representative survey of the non-institutionalized U.S. population. We focused on men 20 years and older who responded to a question asking whether they served in the U.S. Armed Forces. The prevalence of psychotropic medication use among community-dwelling men who reported serving in the U.S. Armed Forces significantly increased from 10.4% in 1999-2002 to 14.0% in 2007-2010 (p<0.05). Most of this increase can be explained by an increase in the use of antidepressant medications during this time period. During a similar time period (2005-2010), contact with mental health professionals in the past year was reported by 11.5% (95% CI, 9.0 – 14.0) of community-dwelling U.S. men who served in the U.S. Armed Forces. Men who served were more likely to use psychotropic medication and have contact with a mental health professional in the past year than men who did not serve (p<0.05). Findings from this study can inform public health planning for the estimated 19.4 million (as of 2011) community-dwelling male veterans in the United States.
Learning Areas:
Epidemiology
Social and behavioral sciences
Learning Objectives:
Compare psychotropic medication use based on self-reported military service.
Describe the advantages of nationally representative data for special populations within the community.
Identify potential reasons for increased use of psychotropic medication over time.
Compare contact with a mental health professional based on self-reported military service.
Identify potential reasons for increased use of mental health services among men with self-reported military service.
Keyword(s): Epidemiology, Mental Health Treatment &Care
Presenting author's disclosure statement:Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have prior research experience with epidemiology, mental health outcomes, large national surveys, and health care for veterans.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines,
and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed
in my presentation.
