U.S. Military Deployment During 2001-2006: Comparison of Subjective and Objective Data Sources in a Large Prospective Health Study

摘要

Purpose: Studies researching service members' health postdeployment have relied on self-reported deployment history, though validity of these data remains unknown. This study conducted a large, population-based comparison of self-reported and electronic deployment data and explored differences in physical and mental health. Methods: Self-reported deployment data were compared with military electronic records for over 51,000 participants enrolled in the Millennium Cohort Study (2004-2006). Kappa statistics were used to measure agreement. Analysis of variance was used to assess functional health, as measured by the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 36-Item Health Survey for Veterans. Results: Of 51,741 participants who completed the initial deployment question, objective records and self-report were in 92% agreement (n = 47,355). Agreement was substantial for deployment status, frequency, and number of deployments (kappa = 0.81, 0.71, and 0.61 respectively). Deployment start dates agreed within 1 month for 82% of participants confirmed as deployed once. Participants' mental and physical composite summary scores did not differ by agreement level. Conclusions: These findings indicate substantial agreement between self-reported and objective deployment information. There were no clinically meaningful differences in functional health in the small proportion of participants whose deployment information was inconsistent. These findings should be reassuring to investigators who rely on a single source for deployment histories in military populations.