• D Alan Nelson, Matthew C Pflipsen, and Lianne M Kurina.
• Department of Medicine, Division of Primary Care and Population Health, Stanford University School of Medicine, 450 Jane Stanford Way, Bldg 20, Stanford, CA 94305-2160.
• Mil Med. 2020 Dec 30; 185 (11-12): e1977e1985e1977-e1985.

IntroductionOccupational disability among military service members is an important target for preventive screening. The specific aim of this study was to quantify disability risk levels among soldiers with selected risk factors (body mass index extremes, poor or absent physical fitness scores, and tobacco and opioid use) and combinations thereof, suggesting priorities for preventive actions.Materials And MethodsThis was a retrospective cohort study of 607,006 active-duty soldiers who served in the U.S. Army during 2011-2014. Official medical and administrative data were combined to produce a person-month-based panel dataset with identifiers removed. The subjects were observed longitudinally for incident disability (termed medical nonreadiness) during 1,305,618 person-years at risk. We employed Weibull parametric survival regression models to determine the adjusted medical nonreadiness hazard for selected variables. We then computed individual adjusted risk scores and the population proportions affected by risk factors and combinations thereof in postregression analyses. The project was approved by the Stanford University's Institutional Review Board and underwent secondary review by the Human Research Protections Office of the Defense Health Agency.ResultsDuring the observed time, 81,571 (13.4%) of subjects were found medically not ready. High or low body mass index, low or missing physical fitness test scores, tobacco use, and the highest levels of opioid use were each associated with increased adjusted hazards of medical nonreadiness. The hazards increased substantially when multiple risk factors were present, albeit while affecting reduced population proportions.ConclusionsWe identified marked disability hazard increases, especially in association with opioid use and high body mass index. These factors, in addition to tobacco use and low physical fitness, are potential early prevention targets for clinicians who screen military service members.Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Association of Military Surgeons of the United States 2020. This work is written by (a) US Government employee(s) and is in the public domain in the US.

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