The association between perceived unmet medical need and mental health among the Republic of Korea Armed Forces

Kim, Tae Kyung; Lee, S. G.; Han, Kyu Tae; Choi, Young Shik; Lee, S. Y.; Park, Sohee

doi:10.1136/jramc-2016-000625

Cited by 6 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 33 publications

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“…This study reviewed data from the Second Military Health Survey (2015) after obtaining approval from the School of Military Medicine in South Korea. [27][28][29][30] The Second Military Health Survey included a final sample of 2500 officers and enlisted men in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force after stratification for class, branch of military service and regional distribution using a questionnaire from July to August 2015. The response rate was 100.0% as all officers and enlisted soldiers completed the survey.…”

Section: Materials and Methods Study Design And Participantsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of military life on changes in body mass index of enlisted men: a cross-sectional study

Lee

Bae

et al. 2020

BMJ Mil Health

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BackgroundObesity is a serious health problem with an incidence that is increasing rapidly. Enlisted men are a distinctive group characterised by 24-hour community-living and are likely to experience changes in body weight as a result of regular diet and exercise during enlistment.MethodsThis study reviewed data from the Second Military Health Survey. Changes in body mass index (BMI) before and during military service were analysed using paired t-test. We calculated OR and 95% CI for factors affecting weight improvement during military service through logistic regression.ResultsThe mean BMI in the underweight group increased by 5.87 kg/m2 during service, while that in the normal weight group increased by 1.18 kg/m2. In contrast, the mean BMI in the overweight group decreased by 5.47 kg/m2 during service. The OR for an improved BMI in the subjective good health group compared with the subjective poor health group was statistically significant (OR=1.71, 95% CI 1.02 to 2.87). The OR for an improved BMI was significantly higher in the group with three or more times per week of strength training than in the group with one to two times per week of strength training, and was higher among the marines compared with the Army soldiers (OR=1.48, 95% CI 1.03 to 2.12 and OR=2.15, 95% CI 1.07 to 4.32, respectively).ConclusionsStrength training showed a statistically significant increase in BMI during military service. Furthermore, the BMI of men who were underweight before their service increased, while it decreased among those who were overweight.

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Section: Materials and Methods Study Design And Participantsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of military life on changes in body mass index of enlisted men: a cross-sectional study

Lee

Bae

et al. 2020

BMJ Mil Health

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Unmet Healthcare Needs and Associated Factors Among Korean Enlisted Soldiers

2021

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Introduction The purpose of this study was to explore the rate of unmet healthcare needs among Korean enlisted soldiers and to examine the factors associated with unmet healthcare needs, based on Andersen’s Health Service Behavior Model. Method This study employed secondary data analysis using the dataset of the military health survey for two years, 2014 and 2015, conducted by the Republic of Korea School of Military Medicine. Of all military health survey participants, 3,636 enlisted soldiers who answered the question “In the last year, have you ever been unable to go to a hospital or a clinic when you wanted to go to a hospital or a clinic?”—the dependent variable in this study—were included in this study. Result The rate of unmet healthcare needs among Korean enlisted soldiers was 23.7% (n = 860) in the current study. Among the individual characteristics, on-duty stress (Odds ratio (OR) = 1.59, 95% Confidence Interval (95% CI): 1.25-2.03) and need for treatment by a mental health specialist (OR = 1.40, 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 1.00-1.95) were associated with unmet healthcare needs. Among the contextual characteristics, perception of injury-prevention effort (OR = 0.61, 95% CI: 0.52-0.71), support from superiors (OR = 0.81, 95% CI: 0.71-0.93), and possibility of accident or injury of military unit (OR = 0.73, 95% CI: 0.64-0.82) were significant factors associated with unmet healthcare needs. The subjective health condition which was a proxy of the health outcome was significantly associated with unmet healthcare needs (OR = 1.58, 95% CI: 1.13-2.22). The results indicate that the safety awareness of troops and social support of superiors were the contextual military characteristics associated with unmet healthcare needs of enlisted soldiers. Conclusions The strengthening of aspect of organizational culture, such as injury-prevention efforts at the military level, or support from superior officers, will contribute to a reduction of the unmet healthcare needs of Korean enlisted soldiers.

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Annual Disease Experience by Type and Correlations with Unmet Healthcare Needs among ROK Military Personnel

Kim

Choi

et al. 2020

Military Medicine

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Introduction The National Statistical Yearbook of Defense 2018 issued by the Republic of Korea (ROK) Ministry of National Defense reported that the number of patients using military hospitals steadily increased from 2008 to 2017. However, in the outpatient clinic statistics for years 2015–2017 from the ROK Armed Forces Medical Command, the amount of medical care received from some medical departments, such as the infection medicine, surgery, and anesthesiology departments, decreased. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to observe the differences in incidence of military personnel’s unmet healthcare needs according to number of diseases by type. Materials and Methods The study used data from the Military Health Survey, which was conducted from 2014 to 2015 and included 5162 responses from ROK military personnel. The number of diseases by type and unmet healthcare needs were self-reported. A multiple logistic regression analysis was used to examine the validity of the annual disease experience by type and correlations with unmet healthcare needs. Results Of the 5162 military personnel, 25.2% experienced unmet healthcare needs, and the more people with the number of disease by type, the more likely they were to experience unmet healthcare needs (1: 13.4%, 2: 22.9%, 3: 29.2%, 4: 34.5%, 5: 41.4%). The logistic regression analysis also revealed significant differences (1 = REF, 2 odds ratio (OR) = 1.83, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.50–2.24; 3 OR = 2.53, 95% CI: 2.05–3.11, 4 OR = 3.10, 95% CI = 2.49–3.85; ≥5 OR = 3.85, 95% CI = 3.08–4.81). In addition, subgroup analysis showed that female military personnel are more likely to experience unmet healthcare needs than are male military personnel. We have also confirmed that working areas and private insurance can affect unmet healthcare needs. Conclusion This study suggests that unmet healthcare needs are influenced by the number of disease by the type of ROK military personnel. It is therefore necessary to strive to reduce the number of military personnel who experience unmet healthcare needs through this data.

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The association between perceived unmet medical need and mental health among the Republic of Korea Armed Forces

Abstract: Our study indicates that unmet medical need is significantly associated with soldiers' mental health decline and suicide ideation, highlighting the importance of providing military personnel with timely, affordable and sufficient medical care.

Cited by 6 publications

References 33 publications

Effects of military life on changes in body mass index of enlisted men: a cross-sectional study

Effects of military life on changes in body mass index of enlisted men: a cross-sectional study

Unmet Healthcare Needs and Associated Factors Among Korean Enlisted Soldiers

Annual Disease Experience by Type and Correlations with Unmet Healthcare Needs among ROK Military Personnel

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