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Table 1 Demographic, military, and health characteristics of 1990–1991 Gulf War veterans in the MVP CSP #2006 cohort (n = 14,103)

From: Association of deployment characteristics and exposures with persistent ill health among 1990-1991 Gulf War veterans in the VA Million Veteran Program

 

na

(%)

Demographic Characteristics

Age (years)

 45–49

1830

(13.0%)

 50–59

6198

(44.0%)

 60–69

4646

(32.9%)

 70 + 

1429

(10.1%)

Mean age (± SD)

59.1 (± 7.8)

Median age (range)

58.2 (45.1–92.6)

Sex

 Male

12,573

(89.1%)

 Female

1530

(10.9%)

Race

 White/Caucasian

9365

(66.4%)

 Black/African American

3165

(22.5%)

 Asian

268

(1.9%)

 American Indian/Alaskan Native

161

(1.1%)

 Other/multiple responses

1136

(8.1%)

Ethnicity

 Hispanic

1377

(9.8%)

 Non-Hispanic

12,720

(90.2%)

Highest education level

 High school graduate or GED

1730

(12.3%)

 Some college

4240

(30.1%)

 Associate degree

2318

(16.4%)

 Bachelor’s degree

2974

(21.1%)

 Master’s degree or higher

2831

(20.1%)

Military Characteristics

Military branch in 1990–1991

 Army

7475

(53.0%)

 Navy

3123

(22.1%)

 Air Force

2047

(14.5%)

 Marine Corps

1417

(10.1%)

 Coast Guard

41

(0.3%)

Rank in August 1990

 Enlisted

11,477

(82.2%)

 Warrant Officer

391

(2.8%)

 Officer

2090

(15.0%)

Component in August 1990

 Active

10,704

(75.9%)

 Reserves

2461

(17.4%)

 National Guard

938

(6.7%)

General Health Characteristics

Self-reported general health

 Excellent

525

(3.7%)

 Very good

2036

(14.5%)

 Good

4621

(32.9%)

 Fair

5042

(35.9%)

 Poor

1829

(13.0%)

Health/Quality of Life VR-12 Measures

 Physical Component Summary Score (PCS-12): Mean (± SD)

36.1 (± 11.5)

 Mental Component Summary Score (MCS-12): Mean (± SD)

41.8 (± 14.1)

Gulf War Illness (GWI) measures

CDC-GWI: Veteran meets CDC criteria for severe GWIb

 Yes

3852

(30.7%)

 No

8705

(69.3%)

Dx-GWI: Veteran told by healthcare provider that he/she has GWI

 Yes

2769

(20.2%)

 No

10,965

(79.8%)

Veteran feels he/she has GWI

 Yes

7887

(59.4%)

 No

5390

(40.6%)

Year of GWI onset:c median (range)

1993 (1990–2019)

  1. Abbreviations: MVP CSP #2006 = VA Million Veteran Program Cooperative Studies Program #2006; SD Standard deviation, GED General Education Development (High School Equivalence) Certificate, VR-12 Veterans RAND 12 Item Health Survey68, CDC U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, GWI Gulf War illness
  2. aFor some characteristics, strata do not sum to 14,103 due to missing values. Missing values for demographic characteristics: Race n = 8; Ethnicity n = 6; Education n = 10 (no missing values for Age, Sex); military characteristics: Rank n = 145 (no missing values for Military Branch, Component); health characteristics: Self-reported general health n = 50; VR-12 n = 46; CDC-GWI n = 1546; Dx-GWI n = 369; Veteran feels he/she has GWI n = 826
  3. bDefined according to CDC criteria for severe chronic multisymptom illness in Gulf War veterans13
  4. cYear of GWI onset reported by veterans who felt they had GWI
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Environmental Health

ISSN: 1476-069X