@article{ref1,
title="Deployment experiences and motor vehicle crashes among U.S. Service members",
journal="American journal of preventive medicine",
year="2014",
author="Woodall, Kelly A. and Jacobson, Isabel G. and Crum-Cianflone, Nancy F.",
volume="46",
number="4",
pages="350-358",
abstract="BACKGROUND: Motor vehicle crashes (MVCs) continue to account for a third of service member fatalities each year. Sociodemographic factors associated with MVCs among service members have been evaluated, but whether deployment-specific experiences during the recent operations are associated with a higher risk of MVCs is unclear. <br><br>PURPOSE: Evaluate if military members with specific deployment experiences are at an increased risk of MVCs, while taking into account several potential confounders. <br><br>METHODS: Millennium Cohort Study participants who enrolled during 2001-2006 and were on active-duty service were evaluated. The Military Health System Data Repository (MDR) was used to investigate MVC-related injuries occurring 6 months postdeployment in relation to service-related factors, while adjusting for demographic, behavioral, and mental and physical health factors. Analysis conducted in 2012 used Cox proportional hazards modeling. <br><br>RESULTS: There were 13,620 deployed personnel included in this study. After adjusting for covariates, deployers with combat experiences (hazard ratio [HR]=1.86, 95% CI=1.33, 2.62) and those with more than one deployment (two deployments, HR=1.93, 95% CI=1.32, 2.83; three or more deployments, HR=2.83, 95% CI=1.71, 4.67) had an increased risk for an MVC within 6 months postdeployment. Enlisted rank and non-Hispanic black race/ethnicity were also associated with increased risk for MVCs. <br><br>CONCLUSION: Experiencing combat during deployment and multiple deployments are both strong predictors for MVCs within 6 months of returning home among U.S. military members. These data provide critical information for targeting prevention strategies to decrease MVCs among personnel postdeployment.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0749-3797",
doi="10.1016/j.amepre.2013.11.015",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2013.11.015"
}