title: Preenlistment and Early Service Risk Factors for Traumatic Brain Injury in the Army and Marine Corps: FY 2002-2010.
abstract: To determine the preenlistment and early service risk factors for traumatic brain injury (TBI)-related disability in Army and Marine Corps service members.
  
  
  
  Matched case-control design.
  
  
  
  TBI disability discharges.
  
  
  
  Army and Marine Corps service members with an enlistment record and disability discharge for TBI were included as cases. Controls were selected from the enlisted population with no disability evaluation record and were matched on fiscal year of enlistment, sex, and service at a ratio of 5:1.
  
  
  
  Older age at enlistment resulted in a significantly increased risk for TBI disability in the crude and adjusted models (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.49; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.16-1.91). An enlistment military occupational specialty (MOS) with a combat arms designation resulted in an almost 3-fold increased odds of TBI disability compared with other MOS categories (aOR = 2.75; 95% CI, 2.46-3.09). This remained a significant risk factor for TBI disability in the multivariate model (aOR = 2.74; 95% CI, 2.45-3.08).
  
  
  
  Results from this study help inform the existing body of military TBI research by highlighting the preenlistment demographic and early service risk factors for TBI disability. Further research into the role of age on TBI disability in the military is merited.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Preventive Medicine Branch, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, Maryland (Mss Elmasry, Feng, and Packnett and Drs Boivin and Cowan); and ManTech Health, Herndon, Virginia (Mss Elmasry, Feng, and Packnett and Dr Cowan).
authors.forename: Hoda
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Elmasry
authors.forename: Michael R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Boivin
authors.forename: Xiaoshu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.forename: Elizabeth R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Packnett
authors.forename: David N
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Cowan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000070642:Brain Injuries, Traumatic / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004608:Eligibility Determination; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D015601:Injury Severity Score; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008889:Military Personnel; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D016017:Odds Ratio; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012737:Sex Factors; D055815:Young Adult