title: The impact of demographic differences on native veterans' outpatient service utilization.
abstract: Many Native veterans--including American Indian/Alaska Native (AIAN) and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders (NHPI)--have served in the United States Armed Forces. Most of these veterans are eligible for medical care from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), but research examining the determinants of their service use is needed to inform policy and allocate appropriate resources for these unique groups. In a retrospective cohort study, we examined the impact of Native veterans' personal demographics on their outpatient utilization of VA-based primary care and mental health services. AIAN (n = 37,687) and NHPI (n = 46,582) veterans were compared with a non-Native reference (N = 262,212) using logistic and binomial regression. AIAN and NHPIs were more likely to be female, report military sexual trauma, and utilize the VA for posttraumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, depression, addiction, anxiety, hypertension, and diabetes care. More AIAN and urban NHPI veterans served in Iraq and Afghanistan, and Native women reported more military sexual trauma than their non-Native counterparts. Primary care and mental health services were associated with race, number of diagnoses, and disability ratings. For mental health services, service era, military sexual trauma, and marital status were related to service utilization. Native veterans' medical need was elevated for primary and mental health care. Rural residence was associated with less mental health use. The findings underscore the need for additional specialized services in rural areas, more targeted outreach to Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom Native veterans, and additional care directed toward Native women's health care needs.
authors.affiliation: University of Colorado Denver.
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Brooks
authors.affiliation: University of Colorado Anschutz.
authors.forename: Carol
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kaufman
authors.affiliation: VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System.
authors.forename: Herbert T
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: Nagamoto
authors.affiliation: Veterans Rural Health Resource Center - Western Region.
authors.forename: Nancy K
authors.initials: NK
authors.lastname: Dailey
authors.affiliation: Veterans Rural Health Resource Center - Western Region.
authors.forename: Byron D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Bair
authors.affiliation: University of Colorado Anschutz.
authors.forename: Jay
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shore
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007198:Indians, North American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000208:ethnology / Q000628:therapy*; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010045:Outpatients / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012737:Sex Factors; D014481:United States / Q000208:ethnology; D014493:United States Department of Veterans Affairs; D014728:Veterans / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult