Characterizing mental, behavioural, and physical health among active duty US sailors and Marines

LAY SUMMARY Optimal health is critical for military personnel's performance and readiness. To date, military research on mental and behavioural health has primarily focused on men in the U.S. Army. Indicators of physical health (e.g., blood pressure) and how they relate to mental and behavioural health are also understudied in military populations. To explore the impact of occupational stress and to simultaneously assess different types of health in a more diverse military population, this study evaluated mental, behavioural, and physical health factors in a large group of U.S. Navy and Marine Corps service members that included men and women from various occupational specialties. Military job stress (e.g., time of service, number of deployments) was related to mental, behavioural, and physical health. A more well-rounded approach to health status assessment in large, diverse military populations may support the development of targeted disease prevention strategies. Introduction: Military service is ingrained with stressors that, when coupled with inadequate recuperation, can lead to poor mental and behavioural health. Measuring physical health in parallel with mental and behavioural health after prolonged exposure to stress allows for a more holistic perspective on well-being. Large health surveillance studies with military populations have focused on male army soldiers returning from Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, creating a data diversity gap with respect to gender, branch of service, and occupational specialty. Methods: A convenience sample (N = 1,382) of U.S. Navy and Marine Corps men and women was surveyed for demographic and psychological information, and blood pressure and heart rate were measured. Results: The prevalence of moderate depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress, and moderate mental health problems was 9.1%, 8.0%, 14.3%, and 22.5%, respectively. Approximately 20% of participants reported alcohol abuse, and 54% met physical activity guidelines. Most had normal blood pressure, and the prevalence of hypertension was below estimates for the general adult population. Group differences for health outcomes and age, rank, tenure, military branch, and deployment status were consistently found. Negative mental health correlated with higher heart rate, alcohol use, and aggression and lower physical activity. Discussion: The assessment of this large, diverse cohort of active duty U.S. Navy and Marine Corps personnel complements the broader surveillance literature and holistically describes indices and outcomes for mental, behavioural, and physical health.