Survey: Troops have lingering health concerns after return from combat

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Survey: Troops have lingering health concerns after return from combat
By Leo Shane III, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Saturday, February 2, 2008

WASHINGTON — Half of all troops returning from combat zones report a lingering health concern six months later, according to data released by Defense officials this week.

The statistics, part of the reassessment of troops 90 to 180 days after deployment, also show 41 percent of servicemembers report psychosocial concerns and one in five report continued difficult functioning in their home environment. Of all those interviewed, 50 percent reported an unresolved injury or mental health concern.

Since the start of Operation Enduring Freedom, military officials have been conducting a survey of troops’ health immediately after their overseas tour ends. But they added the delayed reassessment two years ago after medical experts said some signs of brain trauma and stress disorders can take up to six months to appear.

Dr. (Col.) Kenneth Cox, director of the department’s Global Health Surveillance office, said counselors have maintained about a 75 percent interview rate with returning troops, noting that reservists and guardsmen who don’t report daily to bases are sometimes difficult to locate and schedule within the three-month time frame.

But the office collected nearly 450,000 surveys in the program’s first 18 months and found that after spending time back home, many troops will report concerns they initially overlooked or hid.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=52122