Browsing by keyword "*Afghan Campaign 2001-"
Now showing items 1-3 of 3
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Counseling of female veterans about risks of medication-induced birth defectsBACKGROUND: Medications that may increase risk of birth defects if used during pregnancy or immediately preconception are dispensed to approximately half of female Veterans who fill prescriptions at a VA pharmacy. OBJECTIVE: To assess receipt of counseling about risk of medication-induced birth defects among female Veterans of reproductive age and to examine Veterans' confidence that their healthcare provider would counsel them about teratogenic risks. DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS: Cross-sectional analysis of data provided by 286 female Veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom and/or Operation Enduring Freedom who completed a mailed survey between July 2008 and October 2010. MAIN MEASURES: We examined associations between demographic, reproductive, and health service utilization variables and female Veterans' receipt of counseling and confidence that they would receive such counseling. KEY RESULTS: The response rate was 11 %; the large majority (89 %) of responding female Veterans reported use of a prescription medication in the last 12 months. Most (90 %) of the 286 female Veterans who reported medication use were confident that they would be told by their healthcare provider if a medication might cause a birth defect. However, only 24 % of women who received prescription medications reported they had been warned of teratogenic risks. Female Veterans who used medications that are known to be teratogenic were not more likely than women using other medications to report having been warned about risks of medication-induced birth defects, and fewer were confident that their health care providers would provide teratogenic risk counseling when needed. CONCLUSIONS: Female Veterans may not receive appropriate counseling when medications that can cause birth defects are prescribed.
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Gender differences in the correlates of hazardous drinking among Iraq and Afghanistan veteransBACKGROUND: Despite increasing numbers of women veterans from the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts, few studies have examined hazardous drinking in this group. The present study examined the prevalence of and risk and protective factors for hazardous drinking in a community-based sample of men and women veterans of Operations Enduring Freedom/Iraqi Freedom/New Dawn (OEF/OIF/OND). METHODS: Veterans completed a structured survey that assessed hazardous drinking using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), and a broad range of demographic, life history, and psychopathology variables. Correlations and multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine risk and protective factors associated with hazardous drinking. RESULTS: A total 30.2% of male veterans and 16.3% of female veterans screened positive for hazardous drinking. In a multivariate analysis in male veterans, younger age, lifetime exposure to assaultive trauma, and conflict in interpersonal relationships were independently associated with hazardous drinking (p
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Prevalence of painful musculoskeletal conditions in female and male veterans in 7 years after return from deployment in Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi FreedomBACKGROUND: We sought to describe sex differences in the prevalence of painful musculoskeletal conditions in men and women Veterans after deployment in Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (Iraq) (OEF-OIF). METHODS: This is an observational study using Veterans Affairs (VA) administrative and clinical databases of OEF-OIF Veterans who had enrolled in and used VA care. The prevalence of back problems, musculoskeletal conditions, and joint disorders was determined at years 1 through 7 after deployment for female and male Veterans using ICD-9 code groupings for these conditions. RESULTS: Female Veterans were younger (mean age 29 vs. 30, P