Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41345925›Full record

ArticleBMC public health2025

Cause-specific mortality among U.S. service members and veterans (2001-2018): comparison to the U.S. general population.

Yunnuo Zhu, Clinton Hall, Neika Sharifian, Satbir Boparai, Felicia R Carey, Edward J Boyko, Erin K Dursa, Rudolph P Rull

Abstract readComparative Study
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BMC public health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Yunnuo ZhuDeployment Health Research Department, Naval Health Research Center, 140 Sylvester Road, San Diego, CA, 92106, USA. yunnuo.zhu.ctr@health.mil.
Clinton HallDeployment Health Research Department, Naval Health Research Center, 140 Sylvester Road, San Diego, CA, 92106, USA.
Neika SharifianDeployment Health Research Department, Naval Health Research Center, 140 Sylvester Road, San Diego, CA, 92106, USA.
Satbir BoparaiDeployment Health Research Department, Naval Health Research Center, 140 Sylvester Road, San Diego, CA, 92106, USA.
Felicia R CareyDeployment Health Research Department, Naval Health Research Center, 140 Sylvester Road, San Diego, CA, 92106, USA.
Edward J BoykoVeteran Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA, USA.
Erin K DursaDepartment of Veterans Affairs, Health Outcomes Military Exposures, Washington, DC, USA.
Rudolph P RullDeployment Health Research Department, Naval Health Research Center, 140 Sylvester Road, San Diego, CA, 92106, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundTo compare cause-specific mortality between an occupational cohort of U.S. service members and veterans and the general civilian adult population.

methodsDates and cause of death of deceased Millennium Cohort Study participants from 2001 to 2018 were extracted from federal and military databases. Standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) were calculated for cause-specific mortality compared with the general population overall and by sex and deployment history.

resultsAmong 201,618 participants, 3,017 (1.5%) had a recorded cause of death by December 31, 2018. Compared with the U.S. general population, deaths due to natural causes (SMR = 0.36; 95% CI: 0.34–0.38), accidents (SMR = 0.47; 95% CI: 0.44–0.51), and homicides (SMR = 0.22; 95% CI: 0.17–0.29) were lower among service members and veterans. When stratified by sex, deaths by suicide overall were higher for military women (SMR = 1.65, 95% CI: 1.31–2.05) compared with women in the U.S. general population but not for men (SMR = 0.96, 95% CI 0.87–1.05). Deaths from suicide by firearms were elevated for both military women (SMR = 2.83, 95% CI: 2.04–3.82) and men (SMR = 1.33, 95% CI: 1.18–1.49) compared to the U.S. general population.

conclusionsService members and veterans had lower overall mortality but higher mortality attributed to suicide by firearms compared with the U.S. general population. Military women specifically had higher mortality rates from suicide overall. These findings warrant increased attention to reducing suicide deaths in military populations.

Indexed as

Military PersonnelVeteransAdultCause of DeathCohort StudiesFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedSuicideUnited StatesYoung AdultArmed conflicts (specifics: “Afghan campaign 2001-” and “OIF OND”)Military healthMilitary personnelStandardized mortality ratiosSuicide

Identifiers

PMID41345925
PMCPMC12853993

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.