Older Military Veteran Care: Many Still Believe They Are Forgotten

Effects of 34 Weeks of Military Service on Body Composition and Physical Fitness in Military Cadets of Angola

Military personnel need physical fitness to effectively carry out operational military activities within their specific field of operation. This research investigates the effects of a 34-week training program on Angolan cadets' body composition, muscle strength, and cardiorespiratory fitness. Seventy-four volunteer recruits, aged 18 to 26 years, were monitored during their eight-month military service, following an exercise program protocol comprising 12 weeks of strength training followed by 24 weeks of endurance training. Anthropometric variables, including body mass, body mass index, and fat mass, were assessed, along with cardiorespiratory fitness (VO2max), sprint performance, countermovement jump (CMJ), medicine ball throw, push-ups, and curl-ups. The physical training protocol encompassed running sessions, strength exercises, agility drills, and flexibility exercises. The initial assessment revealed gender differences in various parameters such as body mass, body fat percentage, VO2max, sprinting, countermovement jump (CMJ), medicine ball throw, and push-ups. Following the training program, changes were observed in all variables (effect size between 0.48 and 2.33, p < 0.01) for the participants. Significant interactions (sex × time) were found in body mass (F = 5.18, p = 0.03, ηp2 = 0.06), body fat percentage (F = 5.31, p < 0.01, ηp2 = 0.14), and medicine ball throw (F = 10.84, p < 0.01, ηp2 = 0.13). Specifically, males exhibited a greater reduction in body mass (females: 2.70%, males: 3.47%, p < 0.05) and a substantial improvement in ball throwing performance (females: 7.74%, males: 11.47%, p < 0.01), while females experienced a greater reduction in fat mass (females: 5.34%, males: 3.15%, p < 0.01). The physical training regimen effectively influenced body composition, particularly in enhancing strength performance among males. The integration of exercise programs with military service led to a notable reduction in fat tissue and an increase in lean tissue. Hence, the development of tailored training protocols is imperative to enhance the physical capacity and overall health of military recruits, considering sex-specific characteristics and physical attributes.

Veteran Competencies in Nursing Textbooks: Implications for Educators

AIM

The aim of this study was to examine the adequacy of military/veteran-related content in nursing textbooks used in prelicensure programs.

BACKGROUND

With increased numbers of veterans receiving care in civilian settings, nurses may lack essential knowledge, skills, and attitudes outlined in competencies required to provide culturally sensitive veteran-centered care. One explanation for this may be inadequate preparation during prelicensure nursing education.

METHOD

A quantitative, descriptive study guided the analysis and rating of 32 key words in 24 textbooks across eight content areas.

RESULTS

Key words were included in most textbooks but frequently not connected to military service or veterans. The key word with the highest mean rating was posttraumatic stress disorder; the highest rated content area was psychiatric/mental health.

CONCLUSION

With limited textbook resources, nurse faculty must engage in deliberate efforts to include veteran content in nursing curricula. As competency-based education trends evolve, these findings are relevant and should be considered in curricular design and revision.

Seojeon Byungwon, Jutlandia, and NORMASH: UN's Scandinavian Allies at the Korean War and Beyond (1950s-1960s)

The Korean War (1950-1953) was one of the most calamitous and brutal wars in modern history. It was fought by the post-colonial people of the peninsula, and it culminated in the creation of two ideologically opposed states, but the three years' military clash in East Asia (or the Far East) is often labelled simply as a "Forgotten War" in the West including North America. The ensuing ethnic division has been interpreted through the various geopolitical lenses of military strategy, politics, international relations, and power games. What about the situation of casualties? Which particular nations in the United Nations (UN) dispatched medical aid for the treatment of war victims? How did the Scandinavian allies participate the non-European war? What were their unique characteristics among non-military supporting nations? What legacy they left for the post-war Koreans? This paper explores the military-historical backgrounds by which each of the following Northern European nation, namely, Sweden, Denmark, and Norway, decided to send unarmed skilled personnel to aid South Korea. The paper argues the social voluntarism of the neutral group in the critical insight that the field activities of Swedish Seojeon Byungwon, Danish Jutlandia, and Norwegian NORMASH individually promoted the Red Cross spirit of advanced humanitarianism on the top of mandatory duty, in giving special attention on children (orphans), women, civilians, POWs, and medical education, as well as the post-war collaboration for the initial Korean public health system in the 1960s.

Regional variations in cardiovascular risk factors and access to care among US veterans with cardiovascular disease

BACKGROUND

It remains unclear whether cardiovascular risk factors and access to healthcare for veterans with cardiovascular disease (CVD) vary among US regions. This study sought to determine the extent of regional variations in cardiovascular risk factors and access to medical care in a cohort of veterans with CVD in the USA.

METHODS

The 2016 Centers for Disease Control Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey was utilized to identify a cohort of veteran patients with CVD. Participants were classified based on four US regions: (1) Northeast, (2) Midwest, (3) South, and (4) West. We compared demographic data, medical history, and access to care for veterans of each US region. The outcomes of interest included financial barriers to medical care and annual medical checkup.

RESULTS

Among the 13 835 veterans, 18.3% were from the Northeast, while 23.5, 37.1, and 21.1% were from the Midwest, South, and West, respectively. Veterans of each region differed significantly with respect to demographic characteristics, prior medical history, and access to care. Rates of financial barriers to medical care were similar across the four regions (7.3 vs. 7.1 vs. 8.0 vs. 6.9%, P = 0.203). Veterans from the West had the lowest rates of medical checkup within the past year (91.7 vs. 89.5 vs. 91.4 vs. 86.6%). On multivariate analysis, the Midwest [odds ratio (OR) 0.69; 95% CI, 0.53-0.89] and West (OR 0.53; 95% CI 0.41-0.68) regions were independently associated with lower rates of medical checkup within the past year compared to the Northeast.

CONCLUSIONS

In this observational study involving US veterans with CVD, cardiovascular risk factors and frequency of annual medical checkup differed amongst each US region. Further large-scale studies examining the prevalence of impaired access to care and quality of care in US veterans with CVD are warranted.