Health Trends Among Military Families on St. Louis Military Base

Emily Birch
Public Health 100

I interviewed Aaron Birch, a Captain and Doctor in the US Army. He oversees the health of Military families at the St. Louis Military base hospital, specifically in the Emergency room. The top five trends he listed include obesity, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Smoking, Suicide, and Inappropriate use of the Health Care system.

1. Obesity: Among soldiers and their spouses, obesity is an increasing trend that is likely to continue rising. More gastric bypass surgeries are done on spouses in the North East than anywhere else in the military. In the Army, studies have revealed that the higher their rank in the military, the more likely they and their spouse are to be obese. All soldiers are required to pass a physical exam twice per year, and recent changes have been made by the US Army in order to slim down the military. If they cannot pass, they are kicked out of the army. However, the high calorie foods consumed during battle and on base when not fighting add to the problem of obesity, so healthier choices are being offered. Ultimately, the only way to reverse this problem is to change the American mindset so that healthy eating becomes an important priority.

2. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have been continuous for the past 11 years; over that time, PTSD has been on the rise. Soldiers are being deployed for longer periods of time (6-12 months), repeatedly, to the same areas. More soldiers are suffering from PTSD, affecting families and decreasing their chances of success post-war. After being sent home, soldiers become hyper-vigilant, always on the look-out for someone trying to attack them. The Army understands that this is an increasing problem, and is making changes on the battlefield by sending more mental health providers--social workers, physiologists, psychiatrists--to be deployed with the soldiers. Additionally, much research is being done to discover ways to overcome and deal with PTSD post-war. The only way to truly decrease this trend, however, is for the wars to end.

3. Smoking: Smoking has been a part of the military culture for a long time; in the past, cigarettes were a part of soldiers' daily rations. In The military there is a larger prevalence of smoking than the general US population, partly due to the stresses of being in the military--deployment, shooting, being the targets of explosions-- all in addition to the general stress of life. In St. Louis, there are multiple smoking cessation courses and medication is offered to anyone trying to stop.  Another recent change to stop this increasing trend is a new law that prevents smoking on all hospital facilities and hospital owned land. The doctor I spoke with said that smoking just needs to be banned outright on all military bases, but that is not going to happen, he said.

4. Suicide: America is currently involved in two wars, possibly one more starting. Being Gone for long periods of time away from families and then coming home with PTSD to a bad economy increases chances of depression and leads to violence in the home, which in turn lead to higher rates of suicide attempts and successful suicide. The current wars are highly correlated with increasing suicide rates, and Dr. birch offered two solutions that would reverse this trend: decrease deployment rates and lengths, or leave the war. Additionally, it is current emphasis in the military that soldiers keep an eye out for other suicidal soldiers.

5. Inappropriate use of the Health Care System: Soldiers in the military have widespread access to medical care and medicine. They can be seen by a doctor Monday through Friday from 6am-8am (this is called "sick call"). There is also a "dental sick call". However, if they need to schedule an appointment with a specialized physician, or need to make an appointment for a son, daughter, or spouse, the waiting time can be 30 days. Sick call is only for active duty. Instead of waiting, however, family members of soldiers will show up at the emergency room for inappropriate reasons--or in other words, NOT emergencies. It's free to show up at the ER, and by law every person must be seen, whether their case is a emergency or not. Instead of paying $2 for a pregnancy test, a woman will show up at the ER and ask to be tested for a pregnancy, meanwhile costing the Military hundreds of dollars. However,  a new practice that tracks the amount of time a person is seen in the ER is taking place, and after multiple inappropriate visits, they are not allowed to come back. The emergency room is a type of universal healthcare, and it is horribly misused.

The main cures to combat these rising trends among military families in the Northeast are to 1) get out of the war, and 2) change their mindsets to be more responsible with regards to Nutriton, exercise, and Emergceny room visits.