Respiratory Health Among U.S. Veterans Across Age and Over Time

Many veterans and their advocates are concerned that military service may cause impaired respiratory function resulting from occupational exposures to environmental hazards (e.g., Agent Orange in the Vietnam War, burn pits in the Global War on Terror) or infectious diseases (e.g., pneumonia). Such exposures occurring in service members' young adulthoods may not have immediately discernible effects on lung health; some symptoms may emerge in the immediate months or years after separation from the military, and diagnosable conditions may not manifest until decades later. Health care providers serving veteran populations must consider both the unique combat circumstances surrounding the time of veterans' service and the age-graded nature of health conditions that might result from military service.

To characterize lung health across a broad age range of veterans, the authors analyzed data from two nationally representative surveys of health and well-being that include samples of veterans and their civilian peers. With these data, the authors compared respiratory health outcomes observed for the veteran and civilian populations who were of prime age for military service during different periods of national conflict: the Korean War, the Vietnam War, Operation Desert Shield/Storm, and the Global War on Terror.

The authors estimated that differences in smoking behaviors — including differences prior to enlistment — account for at least half of the veteran–civilian disparities in respiratory outcomes. This suggests the need for military-based and post-transition smoking cessation efforts and further research into other factors that might contribute to these veteran and civilian disparities, such as environmental exposures during military service.