Publications

The following manuscripts have been published or are currently in press. Listings are in chronological order, unless otherwise noted.

Research Publication 2
Title Publication Date/Location
The Effects of Exposure to Documented Open-Air Burn Pits on Respiratory Health Among Deployers of the Millennium Cohort Study Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 2012 June;54(6):708-716

Smith B, Wong CA, Boyko EJ, Phillips CJ, Gackstetter GD, Ryan MAK, Smith TC, for the Millennium Cohort Study Team

Burn pit exposure within 3 or 5 miles was not associated with newly reported asthma, chronic bronchitis or emphysema, or self-reported respiratory symptoms. In general, these findings do not support an elevated risk for respiratory outcomes among personnel deployed within proximity of documented burn pits in Iraq. Increased symptom reporting, however, was observed among Air Force deployers located within 2 miles of Joint Base Balad, though this finding was marginally significant with no evidence of trend.

View abstract

Newly Reported Lupus and Rheumatoid Arthritis in Relation to Deployment Within Proximity to a Documented Open-Air Burn Pit in Iraq Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 2012 June;54(6):698-707

Jones KA, Smith B, Granado NS, Boyko EJ, Gackstetter GD, Ryan MAK, Phillips CJ, Smith TC, for the Millennium Cohort Study Team

This study examined the incidence lupus and rheumatoid arthritis in relation to Army and Air Force personnel deployed within a 3- and 5-mile radius of documented open-air burn pits located in Iraq at Joint Base Balad, Camp Speicher, and Camp Taji. Overall, the results indicate no elevated risk of newly reported lupus or rheumatoid arthritis in the combined three-camp analysis. However, possible exposure at Balad was individually associated with newly reported lupus, although only two cases were at this site. Additional studies, including individual exposure data, are needed to further investigate these associations.

View abstract

Prospective Assessment of Chronic Multisymptom Illness Reporting Possibly Associated with Open-Air Burn Pit Smoke Exposure in Iraq Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 2012 June;54(6):682-688

Powell TM, Smith TC, Jacobson IG, Boyko EJ, Hooper TI, Gackstetter GD, Phillips CJ, Smith B, for the Millennium Cohort Study Team

There was no increase in chronic multisymptom illness (CMI) symptom reporting in Army and Air Force personnel deployed within a 2-, 3-, or 5-mile radius of documented open-air burn pits located in Iraq at Joint Base Balad, Camp Taji, and Camp Speicher compared with other deployed personnel. This initial report on possible burn pit exposure associated with CMI at apopulation-level is reassuring, but future research evaluating the potential association of burn pit smoke and CMI should utilize individual exposure data when possible.

View abstract

A Comparison of Mental Health Outcomes in Persons Entering US Military Service Before and After September 11, 2001 Journal of Traumatic Stress 2012 Feb;25: 17-24

Wells TS, Ryan MAK, Jones KA, Hooper TI, Boyko EJ, Jacobson IG, Smith TC, Gackstetter GD, for the Millennium Cohort Study Team

It is hypothesized that those who entered military service prior to September 11, 2001 might have had expectations of experiencing a regular operational tempo and less combat compared with those entering service after this date, therefore an increased risk for mental disorders. Although measuring the direct reason for entering the military was not possible for this study, the findings showed that those entering pre-September 11 did not have a higher odds of mental disorders, suggesting that mental disorders resulting from the experience of war are common across the pre- and post-September 11 accession eras.

View full text

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Depression Among US Military Health Care Professionals Deployed in Support of the Operations in Iraq and Afghanistan Journal of Traumatic Stress 2012 Dec;25(6):616-23

Jacobson IG, Horton JL, LeardMann CA, Ryan MAK, Boyko EJ, Wells TS, Smith B, Smith TC, for the Millennium Cohort Study Team

Among military personnel deployed with combat experience, health care professionals did not have increased odds for new-onset PTSD or depression over time compared to individuals in other occupations. Combat experience significantly increased the odds for new-onset PTSD or depression among deployed health care professionals, suggesting that combat experience, not features specific to being a health care professional, was the key exposure explaining development of these outcomes.

View full text

Trajectories of Trauma Symptoms and Resilience in Deployed US Military Service Members: A Prospective Cohort Study British Journal of Psychiatry 2012 Apr;200(4):317-23

Bonanno GA, Mancini AD, Horton JL, Powell TM, LeardMann CA, Boyko EJ, Wells TS, Hooper TI, Gackstetter GD, Smith TC, for the Millennium Cohort Study Team

Symptoms of posttraumatic stress (PTS) were examined over time in relation to deployment. Four classes of PTS trajectories were identified for both single and multiple deployers, with over 80% of the deployers exhibiting a stable trajectory of low symptoms (i.e., resilience) pre- to post-deployment. Several factors predicting PTS trajectories were identified, which may direct future research aimed at decreasing the risk of posttraumatic stress disorder among deployers

View abstract

Examination of Post-Service Health-Related Quality of Life Among Rural and Urban Military Members of the Millennium Cohort Study Journal of Rural Social Sciences 2011;26(3):32-56

Proctor SP, Wells TS, Jones KA, Boyko EJ, Smith TC, for the Millennium Cohort Study Team

In this large population-based sample of young US veterans recently separated from military service, health-related quality of life (HRQL) was not significantly different among rural and urban residents in the adjusted analyses and deployment experience did not alter the association between the outcome and rural or urban residence. These results suggest that rural status is not independently associated with HRQL among recent U.S. veterans.

View abstract

Application of Latent Semantic Analysis for Open-Ended Responses in a Large, Epidemiologic Study BMC Medical Research Methodology 2011 Oct;11:136

Leleu TD, Jacobson IG, LeardMann CA, Smith B, Foltz PW, Amoroso PJ, Derr M, Ryan MAK, Smith TC, for the Millennium Cohort Study Team

Using latent semantic analysis to analyze the final open-ended text field on the Millennium Cohort questionnaire helped identify important topic areas for future survey questions and also revealed the most common areas of concern for participants were illness and injuries, exposures, and exercise. Subjects with worse self-reported general health were more likely to provide a response in the open-ended text field than subjects with better general health.

View full text

A Prospective Study of Lupus and Rheumatoid Arthritis in Relation to Deployment in Support of Iraq and Afghanistan: the Millennium Cohort Study Autoimmune Diseases 2011 Nov;741267

Jones KA, Granado NS, Smith B, Slymen DJ, Ryan MAK, Boyko EJ, Gackstetter GD, Phillips CJ, Smith TC, for the Millennium Cohort Study Team

Newly reported lupus was not associated with military deployment in support of the current operations in Iraq and Afghanistan when compared with nondeployers. Our study did note a significantly decreased risk of newly reported rheumatoid arthritis among deployers with and without combat exposures when compared with nondeployers; the reason for this finding is unknown, but may be due to a selection effect for deployment.

View full text

Preinjury Psychiatric Status, Injury Severity, and Postdeployment Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Archives of General Psychiatry 2011 May;68(5):496-504

Sandweiss DA, Slymen DJ, LeardMann CA, Smith B, White MR, Boyko EJ, Hooper TI, Gackstetter GD, Amoroso PJ, Smith TC, for the Millennium Cohort Study Team

Physical injuries were significantly associated with postdeployment PTSD. Baseline psychiatric status was also significantly associated with postdeployment PTSD, irrespective of injury severity. Deployed service members who suffer from a predeployment psychiatric condition or injury while deployed may benefit from interventions targeted to prevent postdeployment PTSD or ensure early identification and treatment.

View abstract

The appearance of hyperlinks does not constitute endorsement by the Department of Defense of non-U.S. Government sites or the information, products, or services contained therein. Although the Department of Defense may or may not use these sites as additional distribution channels for Department of Defense information, it does not exercise editorial control over all of the information that you may find at these locations. Such links are provided consistent with the stated purpose of this website.

Publication badge scores are provided by Altmetric.